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The experience of flying through Indian airports is set to undergo a sea-change. While air travellers flying through Vijayawada, Varanasi and one more Airports Authority of India (AAI) airport will soon be able to beat the lines provided they share their Aadhaar details to the airports.
Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of India said that these were among the airports which have been chosen for starting the digiyatra programme of the government. “We expect to issue tenders soon and should be able to start the project in the next 6-8 months,” Mohapatra said on the side lines of India Air Transport IT Summit, a two-day event organised by SITA.
A session in progress at the inaugural of SITA Event. Photo: Ashwini Phadnis
The government proposes that those who register under the digiyatra programme by providing either Aadhaar or other bio-metric details at the time of booking their air tickets will be able to go through the airport seamlessly with minimal human intervention including at the check-in counters.
E-Gate proposal
Steps are also afoot to enhance the experience of passengers taking international flights from Delhi. P K Bhardawaj, Commissioner, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security said that a pilot project for setting up an e-gate at Delhi airport will be taken up soon. “The tender for the e-gate at Delhi airport has happened. Those passengers who will be covered under the pilot project will not need to have any contact with the immigration officer when they travel through Delhi airport. The Delhi airport project should take off in the next 2-3 months. We are also looking to replicate the e-gate pilot project in at least six other airports,” Bhardawaj told BusinessLine .
Smart Path
Meanwhile, SITA has offered the Smart Path bio-metric solution for ID management solution to the Indian government. “We are in discussion with the Indian government to see how we can apply within our environment,” Maneesh Jaikrishna, Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Africa said.
The Smart Path solution, which has been tested at several global airports including Orlando with British Airways using it on its flight to Gatwick, will require a passenger to register at a kiosk on arrival at an airport in India. The passenger ticket and other details will be checked and after verification a photograph will be clicked. “The picture will allow access to the airport, help the passenger board the aircraft and reach their destination. The passenger will not have to go through the inconvenience of taking out their documents through the journey for inspection,” said Peter Drummond, Baggage Director.
The correspondent is in Jaipur at the invitation of SITA
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