Digi Yatra Expansion to International Flights

Digi Yatra Expansion to International Flights

#GS-2 #GS-3 #Governance & Social Justice #Science & Technology #Infrastructure #E-Governance #Civil Aviation #Digi Yatra #Facial Recognition Technology

Key takeaways

  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched Digi Yatra trials for international departures across 7 major Indian airports for e-passport holders on Air India and IndiGo flights.
  • Originally launched on December 1, 2022, the platform currently operates in 39 domestic airports, serving over 65 crore users and 11 crore completed journeys.
  • The technology uses Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) with a decentralized model where passenger data stays stored locally in mobile wallets and is deleted from airport systems within 24 hours of departure.
  • International integration follows global standards like IATA One ID and ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD), cutting identity verification time down to 5 to 10 seconds per gate.

Why in News

  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced trial runs for Digi Yatra on international flights across 7 major airports in India.
  • These trials are available to Indian citizens who hold e-passports and travel on chosen Air India and IndiGo international flights.

Overview of Digi Yatra

  • Digi Yatra uses Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to create a smooth, paperless, and contactless journey for passengers at airport checkpoints.
  • It uses a self-sovereign identity structure where your personal details and face scans stay on your smartphone wallet instead of a centralized government server.

Background

  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation developed this initiative to support the Digital India mission and improve the overall ease of flying, establishing policy guidelines in 2018.
  • Commercial domestic services officially began on December 1, 2022, starting at Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports.
  • The Digi Yatra Foundation (DYF) manages this system as a non-profit company formed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) alongside private airport operators including DIAL, MIAL, BIAL, GHIAL, and CIAL.

Current Operational Status

  • The service is currently active across 39 domestic airports in India.
  • The platform has already registered over 65 crore users and successfully processed more than 11 crore individual trips.
  • Plans are underway to expand the facility to 25 more domestic airports by the year 2027.

Details of International Trials

  • The initial trials are being conducted at 7 major airports: Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, and Amritsar.
  • Selected international departures operated by Air India and IndiGo are participating in these trials.
  • Only Indian nationals who own an e-passport with an embedded microchip are eligible to participate during this test phase.

Key Features of Digi Yatra

  • The platform uses decentralized data storage to keep your personal info and facial data safely encrypted on your mobile device. The system automatically deletes any data shared with the airport within 24 hours after your flight departs.
  • International passengers can build digital credentials by scanning their passport Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) and using their phone NFC reader to read the embedded chip.
  • The technology matches global security rules like the IATA One ID and the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) to allow safe identity checks worldwide.
  • This platform speeds up entry checks but does not replace standard legal checks. International travellers must still show a valid physical passport and visa to pass regular immigration desks.

Significance

  • The system cuts entry verification time down to just 5 to 10 seconds per gate, which greatly reduces lines at terminal entrances, security zones, and boarding areas.
  • This move builds up India's use of biometric Digital Travel Credentials (DTC), making Indian systems work smoothly with global aviation security standards.