Soon, it may not be possible for you to book an air ticket without providing some unique ID, such as a PAN card, an Aadhaar card or a passport, Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said here on Thursday.
Now, while those booking tickets to destinations outside the country need to provide passport details, domestic air travellers are required to prove their identity only to enter the airport.
“We are trying to see what else we can have as a unique ID so that more people are covered. It is possible that the driving licence will be included,” Sinha said, adding that those who provide biometric IDs should be able to “zip through the airport”.
The Minister was speaking after chairing a meeting with various stakeholders on how to make passenger passage through airports easier by using technology.
The government has now decided to set up a technical committee with stakeholder representation to take this initiative forward. The committee has been asked to submit its report in the next 30 days.
“Following the submission of its report, the government will seek comments from the public over the next 30 days. The government should be able come out with its formal order 30-60 days after receiving comments from the public,” Sinha said.
Among the issues that the technical committee will look at are whether technology can be used at airports so that those who provide biometric identification at the time of booking “breeze through the airport and also at their final arrival destination,” the Minister said.
Sinha emphasised that while some form of identification may be required to book an air ticket, passengers who decide to book tickets at the airport and follow the existing procedures will be allowed to do so even after the new system is implemented.