DigiYatra, which allows biometric boarding using a facial recognition technology, was launched for domestic passengers at the Kolkata airport on Friday.
The facility — earlier launched at Delhi, Varanasi and Bangalore airports — allows paperless and contactless scanning of a passenger through various checkpoints right from entering the terminal till boarding, using facial features to establish the flier’s identity.
Passengers travelling by IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Vistara and Go First can use the facility at the Kolkata airport now.
Airport officials said the new facility would significantly reduce the duration of an outbound passenger’s stay at the airport. Many passengers boarding flights at the Kolkata airport complain of long queues to enter the terminal and then again for the security check during rush hours.
Airport officials explained to The Telegraph how to use the facility. “To use the facility, a one-time registration on the DigiYatra app is required using Aadhaar-based validation and self-image capture,” said an official.
To complete the enrolment procedure, the passenger has to upload the boarding pass on the app and share it with the airport from where he or she will board the flight. After arriving at the e-gate designated for DigiYatra, the passenger has to show the barcoded boarding pass or mobile phone boarding pass.
“The passenger has to look at the camera of the facial recognition system installed at the gate. After successful validation, the e-gate will open,” the official said. After entering the terminal, the passenger has to drop the baggage at the airline check-in counter and head for security check.
“The passenger has to again look at the facial recognition camera for identity validation and for the security check e-gate to open,” the official said. A similar process will be followed at the boarding gate, too.
“The facility aims to provide seamless and hassle-free experience for passengers. Its main objective is to enhance passenger experience by eliminating the need for verification of tickets and ID at multiple touch points and achieve better movement of passengers through existing infrastructure using a digital framework,” said C. Pattabhi, director of the Kolkata airport.
On Friday, 125 passengers used the facility for six flights of Air India, Go First, Vistara and Indigo, which operated between 1pm and 5pm.
DigiYatra e-gates have been installed at departure entry gates 2B and 3A, said officials. Inside the terminal, the facility is installed in the security hold area 1, 2 and 3, and boarding gates 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.
Live trials for DigiYatra started at the airport on February 21.