Digi Yatra international passenger trials begin at seven airports
The Civil Aviation Ministry will use feedback from the November to December trials to plan a wider rollout in 2027.
The Civil Aviation Ministry announced on Sunday that Digi Yatra trials for international passengers have commenced at seven airports, according to The Hindu. The trials are being conducted at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar airports.
The facility is currently available for Indian nationals holding e-passports on specific international flights operated by IndiGo and Air India. Eligible travellers can use the facial recognition technology at boarding gates, terminal entry points and Security Hold Areas where the necessary infrastructure exists.
To use the service for international travel, passengers must create an e-passport-based Verifiable Credential through the Digi Yatra mobile app. This involves scanning the Machine Readable Zone of the e-passport, using a smartphone's Near Field Communication feature to read the embedded chip, and capturing a selfie.
The ministry stated that the digital facility is intended to support rather than substitute current travel protocols. Passengers are required to keep their physical travel papers and finish all necessary immigration and airline document verification processes.
The trial period will run from November to December 2026. The ministry plans to use the feedback gathered during these months to prepare for a broader rollout of the technology in 2027.
The Digi Yatra platform currently has more than 26.5 million users and has facilitated over 110 million journeys across 39 domestic airports.