Centre launches Digi Yatra initiative

New Delhi, Oct 4: The Union Government Thursday unveiled Digi Yatra initiative which is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India's vision. The new initiative will add digital experience for air travellers. Now, air passengers can soon use facial recognition biometrics to enter airports.

'DigiYatra' initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey.

Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said that the DigiYatra initiative envisages providing airline travellers in India, a pioneering 'digitally unified flying experience' across all stages of their journey.

All aviation stakeholders - airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless exchange of data and information. He said that these standards can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers.

Sinha further informed that the platform will be built on 4 key pillars, like Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying and Connected Systems which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to:

• Plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking,
• Optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions,
• Walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions,
• Receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc.,
• Engage in customised digital offerings at experience zones,
• Get real-time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey
• Conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps,
• Stay connected during flights and indulge in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally,
• Get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt, and
• Submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback.