DigiYatra App: How To Use it For Instant Airport Check-ins: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia introduced the DigiYatra Application in India on 01.12.2022 via the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) to provide an efficient and well-organized traveller’s experience at airports. It is a system of Facial Recognition Technology for a biometric boarding system introduced by the Digi Yatra foundation. It aims to provide airport passengers with a consistent and hassle-free experience of DigiYatra: a Contactless Biometric Experience for Airport Check-Ins.
The main objective of Digi Yatra is to simplify the passenger experience by eliminating the need to verify tickets and IDs at multiple touchpoints and achieving better throughput through existing infrastructure using a Digital Framework. The Digi Yatra embarkation process is now operational in 3 airports for passengers taking domestic flights and is now launched for three airports, they are —
- Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi
- Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi
- Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will add Digi Yatra in four more cities by March 2023: Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada.
How To Install The DigiYatra
The Digi Yatra app can be downloaded on any smartphone and is available for Android and iOS phones. It is a free app that can be downloaded on any smartphone with Google Play Store for Android and the App Store for iPhones.
Read: What Do You Understand Of UPI Lite And How To Use This Wallet
DigiYatra App: How To Use it For Instant Airport Check-ins
- Tap the downloaded DigiYatra App to open and register.
- Select “Get Started” and provide your mobile number. Click on “Register.”
- Select the “Wallet” icon present at the bottom of the application.
- Tap the identity credentials, upload your Aadhaar-verified documents, and connect your identity credentials.
- AADHAAR will send an OTP to the registered mobile number of the AADHAAR holder.
- Upload a selfie when prompted.
- A “Check Box” Consent from the Passenger is optionally provided to subscribe/ avail of any offers or value-added services at the Airport or during the Journey to/ From the Airport.
- In Case the Passenger opts for any such services, the Digi Yatra Platform will share the Mobile number with the Airport BBS / other required service providers like Lounges, Registered Taxi/ Cab Operators, Hotels, etc.
- Passengers can decide to “Opt Out” of this subscription anytime.
Steps To Use DigiYatra App At The Airport
- DigiYatra App: How To Use it For Instant Airport Check-ins.
- At the E-Gate entrance point, the person travelling must scan the barcode on the boarding pass or the e-ticket once the departure has begun.
- After scanning the barcode or QR code, the FRS will examine the Passenger’s travel documents and identification, and the system will confirm the passenger and flight information.
- After the Digi Yatra ID and boarding pass have been properly verified, the E-Gate will open upon validation.
- The Passenger needs to look at the DigiYatra E-Gate webcam and check the image on the DigiYatra E-Gate camera.
- If the Passenger creates a Digi Yatra ID with a manual ID card, the validation process is completed by a manual ID check by the Airport Security Staff at the security check-in point.
- For the rest of the airport travel, the Passenger’s image with their ticket PNR is transformed into one token.
- The Passenger will be granted entry to the Airport’s security zone and the aircraft once the validated data is taken into the record.
- The Passenger will be validated using this Single Biometric Face Token throughout the Airport.
The complete DigiYatra launch project is in the implementation stage. Airport Operators do the expenditure on the implementation of Digi Yatra. The Ministry of Civil Aviation does not provide budgetary support for its performance. Hence, it is a Non-Profit Foundation.
The Digi Yatra application has no central storage of Passenger Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data. The recorded Passenger’s data is encrypted and stored in the smartphone application’s wallet and shared only for a limited duration with the airport security staff of travel origin, where the Passenger’s Digi Yatra ID is validated during travel. The data is deleted from the system within 24 hours of the flight. DigiYatra App: How To Use it For Instant Airport Check-ins.
Facilities implementing the Digi Yatra provide Touchless Passenger Validation through FRT, which saves time at various checking points like entry to the Airport, Security Checking Area, and Boarding Area through DigiYatra: a Contactless Biometric Experience for Airport Check-Ins.
The Importance of The DigiYatra App:
The Digital Yatra Records stores the Passenger’s following Data as a “Live Passenger Dataset.”
- Passenger Name Record (PNR) with the following mandatory fields
- Passenger Name
- Flight number
- Date & Time of Flight
- From & to Destination
- Sequence Number
- Seat Number
- Passenger’s Face Biometrics in the form of a Digital Template
- A unique identifier for each Passenger
Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo are the only Airlines affiliated with DigiYatra. DigiYatra can only be utilized if the Passenger has opted for Aadhaar-based verification. However, if the Passenger has selected another identity card, the identity verification will be done manually by security personnel at the Airport. The application also gives passengers the benefit of changing terminals without a ticket or boarding pass.
The Benefits of using DigiYatra
Digi Yatra, the future of air travel, is an authenticated mobile-based ID storage platform where all flight passengers can save their IDs and travel documents. The platform provides air passengers with reduced wait time, making the boarding process faster and more seamless. It lets flyers swiftly walk through the security check-in points by using advanced biometric security solutions.
The Digi Yatra application aims to simplify the Air-Travel process for:-
- First-time and frequent flyers in India
- Senior Citizens and citizens with special needs
- Group travellers and families
- Foreign citizens or tourists.
The project foundation of Digi Yatra was developed keeping in mind the Covid 19 pandemic that spread across the world. Contactless and pre-verified travel reduce not only time but also physical interaction. Digi Yatra also benefits the elderly, who no longer have to carry tickets or wait long to board flights. DigiYatra App: How To Use it For Instant Airport Check-ins.
Conclusion
In today’s Digital world, the launch of the DigiYatra App would help citizens of India and foreigners with a strong, verified travel experience for Passengers at all airports across India. It is an initiative to create a digitally empowered society for all flight passengers and foreigners in India. Using Facial Recognition Technology(FRT) to verify the identity of travellers, the Digi Yatra platform makes terminal arrival and security clearance at the airport hassle-free.
