India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has confirmed that the facial-recognition-based Digi Yatra platform will be trial-run for international departures at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin airports between October and December 2026. Unlike the domestic Digi Yatra rollout that relies on Aadhaar e-KYC, the cross-border trial will hinge on e-passports. Passengers will scan the chip-embedded passport page with a smartphone app, take a selfie for biometric matching and receive a digital credential that can be used at terminal entry, security and, eventually, boarding gates. Immigration procedures will initially remain unchanged, but officials say integration with automated border-control e-gates is part of a later phase once reliability and security are proven. The pilots are running in parallel with the Bureau of Immigration’s Fast Track Immigration–Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP), already live at 13 airports and allowing pre-verified Indian citizens and OCI card-holders to clear immigration in 30 seconds. Authorities stress that Digi Yatra and FTI-TTP cover different touch-points: the former speeds up landside entry and security checks, while the latter accelerates the actual immigration counter. If the trials succeed, rule changes will follow—such as scrapping mandatory passport checks at terminal entry and procuring e-gates that can read the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-compliant e-passport chip. Longer-term ambitions include interoperability with overseas airports under discussions with IATA, ICAO and EU Digital Identity pilots. For business travellers, the convergence of Digi Yatra and FTI-TTP promises a near-frictionless journey: digital identity from curb to gate, shorter queues, and predictable connection times. Corporates running tight itineraries or deploying staff on short-notice assignments could shave precious minutes off each trip, boosting productivity and traveller satisfaction.
Source: Hindustan Times
