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Close on the heels of Independence Day celebrations on Monday (August 15), facial recognition systems for passenger verification were rolled out at Delhi and Bengaluru airports.

Authorities launched a beta version of the DigiYatra which will now be deployed for domestic passengers at Delhi airport’s T3 where AirAsia India, Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara operate. 

On the other hand, the service has been rolled out for domestic flyers at Bengaluru airport across two airlines namely AirAsia India and Vistara.

The app will automate passenger entry and verification at all touchpoints – airport entry, security check and boarding gate. Based on the use of single token face biometrics, the app will use facial features to establish a traveller’s identity, which will then be linked to the boarding pass. 

“It is our constant endeavour at BIAL to offer innovative ways to simplify the passenger journey and make it as seamless as possible. The Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem implementation is one more step towards achieving this. We are glad to be part of the first phase rollout…As the new gateway to India, Bengaluru airport is keen to be at the forefront of change and innovation”, said Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) managing director (MD) Hari Marar. 

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said that each passenger would need less than three seconds at each touchpoint, adding that DigiYatra would also improve security. 

“At Bengaluru Airport, the DigiYatra Biometric boarding system at e-gates is operational and being rolled out at full scale for all domestic airlines in a phased manner, covering checkpoints for domestic travel”, added BIAL in a statement.

The app is currently available for Android users on Google Play Store for Android users while an application for iOS users would be launched in a month. BIAL claims that user data will be deleted 24 hours following the travel.

The app provides for a decentralised mobile wallet-based identity management platform which will be used to speed up check-in at airports. The passengers will be able to store their credentials and other travel related documents in the digital wallet which will be encrypted, according to authorities. 

The app rollout is part of the larger Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem (DYCE) envisaged by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). DYCE is an initiative of the Digi Yatra Foundation (DYF) which has been tasked with developing the government’s ambitious passenger ID validation process.

DYF was set up in 2019 as a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and airports including BIAL, DIAL, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) and Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). 

The five airports hold 74% stake while AAI is a 26% shareholder in DYF.  

The project is also expected to be unveiled soon at airports including Pune, Vijayawada, Kolkata and Hyderabad by March 2023.

While the government claims that privacy issues will be taken care of, many have previously criticised facial recognition technologies citing ‘pervasive surveillance.’ Earlier this year, Telangana High Court (HC) issued notices to the state government and Hyderabad police commissioner to respond to a petition that questioned the alleged use of face recognition technology by officials without the sanction of law.

In May this year, Inc42 also reported that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) was also mulling introducing a monthly pass system using face recognition technology to replace smart cards.

According to Panoptic Tracker, 124 facial recognition systems are currently installed in the country, with the government spending more than INR 1,464.18 Cr on such systems so far.