July 30, 2018 TnH Global 1

Govt to roll out DigiYatra offering for air passengers soon

The facility will use digital technology to enhance air passenger experience all the way from ticket booking to airport entry check, security check and aircraft boarding.

Having worked on the DigiYatra project for over a year, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is close to rolling out this service at airports in a few months, a senior union minister said.

“We have this programme called DigiYatra, which hopefully will be introduced in a few months itself,” Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation said at the sidelines of GJEPC 44th Gem & Jewellery Awards in Mumbai on Saturday night.

“(Under this) the moment you will enter the airport, your images will be captured and then you will be able to go through the full lifecycle of your travel in a seamless manner,” the minister said.

The basic objective is to reduce queues at airports and bring efficiency to the boarding process. As the civil aviation sector has started growing by 20%, airport infrastructure needs to cope up.

Clarifying that the facility is in conformity with privacy guidelines of the Supreme Court, Mr. Prabhu said, “ It is not just Aadhaar (based). It is beyond Aadhaar. Once you establish your identity you will be able to pass through the entire lifecycle of the travel and this facility is optional.”

“If somebody does not want to disclose identity, there will be separate provision for them. So we are strongly following Supreme Court’s guidelines. DigiYatra is a unique system which we will be introducing in a few months,” the minister said.

He added, “Currently we are undertaking some trials and it has been tested successfully. In security we are also thinking to bring some changes. It can happen in the proper manner at the same time speed can be increased.”

DigiYatra is an industry-led initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in line with Digital India programme. It aims to transform the flying experience for passengers and position Indian Aviation amongst the most innovative aviation networks in the world. The facility will use digital technology to enhance air passenger experience all the way from ticket booking to airport entry check, security check and aircraft boarding.

For this a passenger needs to enrol in to DigiYatra program through AirSewa app and a DigiYatra verified passenger will get hassle free entry at airport through E-Gates. The ID verification will be done by the BCAS-approved Government ID. At the entry gate a single token for the passenger will be created. The DigiYatra programme is expected to be initially rolled out at airports in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Varanasi and Vijayawada.

This facility is expected to enable passengers to plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking, optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions.

This will also facilitate walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions.