New Delhi: Digi Yatra is likely to be rolled out at 14 more airports including Bhubaneswar by the end of this month and efforts are on to make the facility more user-friendly with certain changes in the architecture, according to a top executive.
Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various checkpoints at airports and currently, there are nearly 5 million users. The facility is now operational at 14 airports for domestic passengers and discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders concerned to make it available for international travellers as well. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi told PTI that Digi Yatra is expected to be available at 14 more airports by the end of April. A not-for-profit entity, the foundation is the nodal agency for Digi Yatra, which was introduced in December 2022. The 14 new airports where the facility is to be rolled out soon are Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore, Mangalore, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Trivandrum and Vishakhapatnam. While Digi Yatra is slowly gaining traction, there have been concerns expressed in various quarters about the privacy of the data of the passengers.
Seeking to assuage the concerns, Khadakbhavi said Digi Yatra does not have any passengers’ data. “It is only in the phone (of the user) that the data is residing and it is in the control of the passenger himself or herself,” he told PTI in an interview. Khadakbhavi said work is going to ensure a more user-friendly experience for Digi Yatra users and changes are being looked at in the overall architecture, to make the facility available for international travel. He said discussions are going on with the external affairs ministry and other agencies.