Hyderabad airport starts trial for facial recognition boarding

DigiYatra is a new digital initiate by the Government as a part of Digital India initiate to facilitate seamless airport experience for passengers. Trials for DigiYatra went live early this year. As of now, Bengaluru airport has implemented various facets of it. Hyderabad airport has started trials for DigiYatra since July 1, 2019. The tests are expected to continue for a month and will then be evaluated and implemented on a full-scale basis.

To participate in the facial recognition, you will need to first register for DigiYatra at one of the registration counters located near Departure Gate 1 and three at Hyderabad airport. The registration counters are open from 8 am to 8 pm every day. A CISF personnel will physically verify your government-issued ID. A photo will be clicked, and your contact details will be entered to generate a Digiyatra ID. Passengers can enter the Digiyatra ID whenever they book tickets.

With this, passengers can use facial recognition at dedicated airport entry gates, entry to security check area and boarding gates without showing their boarding pass and id. It is currently available only for domestic flyers. According to a representative of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL),

As many as 180 passengers voluntarily signed up for FR, though 70% used it on the Day 1. The numbers are certain to increase. To begin with, the facility is being extended only to passengers with hand baggage and flying to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

If the pilot is successful, it will be used for security checks as well. Instead of displaying the boarding pass, passengers can just look into the camera to ascertain their credentials. If found genuine, the system will automatically clear their passage towards boarding.

Eventually, DigiYatra will be rolled out on a full-scale basis. This combined with self bag drop counters and body scanners (in the process of being installed) will cut short the time spent from entry at the airport to the boarding gate and provide a seamless travel experience.