Paperless air travel? How Digi Yatra may soon empower domestic passengers

Among many initiative for air passengers, one is also called as ‘Digi Yatra’ which is aimed to provide citizens a digitally unified flying experience. With the latest circulated news, it is being believed, that domestic passengers may soon get the opportunity for paperless air travel courtesy a unique identity number. Digi Yatra was launched last year in June 2017, where all aviation stakeholders like airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards that can enable seamless exchange of data and information. These standards as per Ministry of Aviation, can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers.

On Tuesday, a Times of India report mentioned that, a technical team representing Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the four private metro airports has finalised the format for biometric-based “digi-yatra” (DY) for all airports to enable a completely paperless boarding process for domestic flyers.

The report added, under this, each traveller will need to get the unique ID from an aviation ministry portal which will be linked to their biometrics. People will give this unique DY ID at time of booking domestic tickets.

Furthermore, reportedly only those who want a paperless boarding experience will need to get this unique ID as the existing procedure will continue to remain in place.

Here are the list of features of Digi Yatra. 

• Plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking,
• Optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions,
• Walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions
• Receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc.,
• Engage in customised digital offerings at experience zones,
• Get real time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey,
• Conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps,
• Stay connected during flights and indulge in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally,
• Get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt , and
• Submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback.