India is set to launch an international pilot project for Digi Yatra in June 2025, which will introduce facial recognition technology and e-passports for foreign nationals travelling to and from the country.

The system utilises facial recognition technology to verify passenger identities at various checkpoints, including check-in, security and boarding gates.

Key features of Digi Yatra are integration with e-passports and facial recognition technology for automated passenger processing at airports with potential expansion to hotels, rail travel and public places such as historical monuments in the future. Initial discussions have been held with the Ministry of Railways for potential expansion to rail travel.

Digi Yatra is a mobile-based platform that allows air travellers to store their ID and travel documents securely. The platform uses facial recognition to eliminate the need for physical ID checks, streamlining the airport experience, according to Hindustan Times.

Digi Yatra is currently only available for domestic flights within India but a pilot project for international visitors will be launched next year.

India has not yet launched an e-passport, which contains an embedded microchip storing biometric data, such as fingerprints or facial recognition.  So, a pilot project of Digi Yatra will be conducted with the help of foreign passengers who hold electronic passports (“e-passports”).

“Countries within the European Union, Singapore, etc have launched e-passports. A significant number of their citizens hold such passports. So, the pilot project will be done with their involvement,” Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi said on Tuesday.

The Digi Yatra Foundation is a not-for-profit private company which is a consortium of five private airports that have a combined shareholding of 74%, and the Airports Authority of India holds the remaining 26%.

The company describes its Digi Yatra as [emphasis added]:

Digi Yatra is a Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India led initiative to make air traveller’s/ passenger’s journey seamless, hassle-free and Health-Risk-Free. The Digi Yatra process uses the single token of face biometrics to digitally validate the Identity, Travel, Health or any other data that is needed for the purpose of enabling air travel.

Frequently Asked Questions, What is Digi Yatra? Digi Yatra Foundation

The pilot project will initially be implemented between two countries and will enable international visitors to use facial recognition as a boarding pass, with the Digi Yatra platform being made accessible in both regional and international languages.

India will need to develop bilateral agreements with other countries to implement Digi Yatra with those countries. “They will share their [passenger] credentials with us. We will share our [passenger] credentials with them before this passenger has reached their immigration counter,” Khadakbhavi said.

The Digi Yatra program has already been rolled out domestically, allowing Indian passengers to board using facial recognition at 24 airports, including Delhi, Varanasi and Bengaluru, with plans to add 4 to 5 more domestic airports in the coming months.

The expansion of Digi Yatra presents opportunities for biometrics companies – such as SITA, NEC, Idemia, Thales and Amadeus together with its recently acquired company Vision-Box – which are positioned to support the transformation of the mobile-based platform.

Indian airports are collaborating with these companies to enhance the Digi Yatra system’s infrastructure and functionality, with partnerships including SITA’s deal with the Airports Authority of India (“AAI”) to bolster the system’s effectiveness and security.

NEC has also partnered with the AAI to launch Digi Yatra in Indian airports, while Vision-Box deployed its biometric system at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru in 2019, and Amadeus was commissioned to develop a biometric passenger processing system for Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, India.

However, the rollout of Digi Yatra has not been without its challenges, with concerns raised regarding data privacy and security breaches, and NITI Aayog, India’s policy think tank, emphasising the need for people to have more control over their biometric data.

Despite these challenges, stakeholders in the aviation industry are optimistic about the potential benefits of the Digi Yatra system, with the international pilot project set to move forward in 2025.

The Digi Yatra seems to be part of the ever-expanding global digital state. For example, in November 2024 the European Union (“EU”) is launching an automated border registration computer system for registering travellers from countries outside the EU.  The EU’s automated border control system, known as the Entry-Exit System, collects biometric data including fingerprints, captured facial images and the date and place of entry and exit.

As is the case with the Digi Yatra, it’s not only governments that are getting in on the act of collecting and using biometric data.  Following the model of the World Economic Forum and the United Nations’ public-private partnership, large corporations are playing significant roles in what was once the purview of governments. Governments, unlike corporations, are made up of elected representatives who are expected to adhere to high standards, including transparency and ethics, and can be held accountable by the public.   As we reported a few months ago, Google Wallet is rolling out digital support for American biometric passports and Apple Wallet is doing the same under the guise of Japan’s digital ID agenda.

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Featured image is taken from Digi Yatra, Deli Airport website