When the most-awaited Digi Yatra system’s first phase launches on August 31, travellers departing through seven airports will be able to authenticate themselves using facial recognition cameras, said a report. Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Kolkata, and Pune airports will all be included in the August 31 rollout.
Passengers won’t need to provide their boarding permits or identity cards when they arrive at an airport, drop off their bags, or go for boarding because the Digi Yatra service will allow them to link their travel and identity documents together and make a facial scan in advance.
Instead, individuals will have to show themselves before a facial recognition camera. Officials say the initiative will significantly reduce lines and wait times at security checkpoints and boarding gates.
However, Aadhaar details will initially be required for registration on the system by air travellers. As per a report in Hindustan Times, an official stated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a stakeholder in the non-profit Digi Yatra Foundation, which is launching a Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem that will integrate with the various systems involved, including government ID repositories, airport security systems, and airline backend networks.
According to a representative of AAI, the system is being developed in accordance with the W3C specifications for decentralised identity (DID) and this makes it possible to exchange the numerous verified credentials needed in advance for transit through different airport checkpoints.
Meanwhile, an official from the Bengaluru airport said that a mobile application that will work with both Android and Apple iPhones is prepared to be launched for this purpose and the ecosystem’s backend, which includes issuers and verifiers, has also been tested and made ready.
“With the Digi Yatra Central Platform, we believe the adoption of this new technology will surge across all airports in India,” the official further added.
Key Details of Digi Yatra System
- Passengers need to download the mobile app for Digi Yatra
- Next step will be enrolling by digitally validating a government-issued ID card like Aadhaar or driving license; can use Digi Locker service
- People will be asked to take a selfie to record their facial features to create Digi Yatra ID
- Once all these steps are completed, people can link their flight reservations on the app
On the day of travel, the Digi Yatra app will send the airport the passenger’s face, which will act as ID proof, and ticket information, both of which will be properly encrypted, said a spokesperson of GMR, which handles the airports at Hyderabad and Delhi.
The person also explained that the pre-security area and boarding areas of the airports will be equipped with biometric camera-based e-gates.
The Facial Recognition Tech
Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and various police forces first started to use facial recognition technology. Now, along with airports, this technology is being used in railways and public sector institutions.
The objective behind using this technology is to better identify people (helps to find out criminals), passenger check-ins and biometric attendance in companies.
It should be noted that both local and international businesses serve as facial recognition software vendors. As reported earlier NEC, a Japanese electronics corporation, has been enlisted to implement this technology in four Indian airports which are Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune, and Vijayawada.
Similarly, Western Railway ordered over 400 video cameras with real-time facial recognition technology developed by the Russian video analytics company NtechLab, which has been certified by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
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