GMR Hyderabad Airport rolls out DigiYatra-Digital Processing of Passengers

HYDERABAD: The GMR Hyderabad International Airport will begin offering digital passenger processing as a 'proof of concept' using the DigiYatra platform from August 18. The facility, part of the Union government's flagship DigiYatra programme, will be available for a period of three months. Paperless travel will enable several identity checks at the airport, making for a simple and hassle-free journey.

A facial recognition system will be used by DigiYatra to automatically process passengers at two checkpoints: the Security Hold Area (SHA) in the passenger terminal building and the Departure Domestic Entry Gate 3. The technical team at DigiYatra has created a unique mobile application for enrollment. To take advantage of the DigiYatra programme's perks, travellers must download this app.

The app was launched on August 15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Beta versions of the DigiYatra app are presently available on the Playstore (for the Android platform). The identical application will be available via the App Store in a few weeks (for the iOS platform).

GMR Hyderabad International Airport is one of the five airports chosen to pilot the DigiYatra scheme. To create the framework, the DigiYatra team has formed a Technical Expert Committee drafted from all the airports and airlines. The DigiYatra Mobile App is secure since the passenger's biometric information is stored on the passenger's mobile device and will not be shared with anybody. This is entirely voluntary and the standard non-biometric approach will remain in place.

"The Digiyatra programme envisions airline travellers a quick, hassle-free and digitally unified air travel experience throughout all stages of the route," said Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GHIAL.

"We are honoured to have been selected as one of the airports for a proof-of-concept for Digi Yatra by the Union Government. It is a significant moment in the history of Indian aviation. GHIAL had earlier started face recognition trials which were well-received by everyone involved in the airport environment. With the use of this technology, travellers will be able to travel without paper boarding passes and instead utilise a facial scan," he said.

SGK Kishore, ED-South and Chief Innovation Officer-GMR Airports, spoke at the event and noted that Hyderabad International Airport had long been a leader in adopting cutting-edge technological solutions and launching numerous ground-breaking innovation initiatives.

"In the year 2019, this airport was the first in the nation to conduct a Face Recognition trial, and it has since been tried and tested successfully. It is well known that Hyderabad Airport was the first in India to implement E-Boarding, which is end-to-end, completely paperless, for all domestic passengers and some foreign carriers. This airport is the only one in India to provide passengers with Express Security Check, which is a very convenient service that many of our travellers value", he said.