The Airport Authority said it had introduced facial recognition systems for domestic passengers at Delhi and Bengaluru airports to enable seamless and paperless travel.

Delhi International Airports Ltd and Bangalore Kempegowda International Airport (BIAL) have announced the soft launch of the centre’s DigiYatra programme to launch the beta version of the app for Android users during India’s 76th Independence Day on August 15.

“The facial recognition system will free passengers from identity checks at multiple locations and encourage them to travel paperless while improving security at the airport,” DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said in a statement.

The service has been deployed for domestic passengers at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 (T3), where AirAsia, Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara all operate. At Bengaluru Airport, AirAsia India and Vistara will use the facility.

DigiYatra is a biometric seamless travel experience based on facial recognition technology, the government said. It aims to ultimately provide a seamless, paperless and hassle-free experience for all passengers at all checkpoints in all airports in India.

At every touchpoint, including airport entrances, security checkpoints and boarding gates, the app automates passenger entry and verification.

The software will build passenger identification based on facial features and single-token facial biometrics, which will then be connected to boarding passes.

The DigiYatra app is available in beta for Android users and will be released for iOS in a few weeks.

Passengers who opt into the DigiYatra scheme must download the app, register, link their Aadhaar information, take a selfie and enter information about their Covid-19 vaccinations.

BIAL says the platform is safe. “Passengers don’t have to worry about sharing their data as it’s secure and deleted within 24 hours of travel,” it said in a release.

DigiYatra is a project of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and has been in testing since 2017.

The DigiYatra Foundation will oversee the passenger identity verification process. It will also outline the rules and compliance requirements for the local airport system. Frequent audits will also be conducted to ensure compliance with guidelines, including those on security, image quality and data protection.

DIAL says passengers need less than three seconds at each touchpoint.

“A quiet travel revolution in the past year or so has been the full adoption of mobile boarding passes in India. Completely paperless, no longer stamped for any purpose, no need to stop at counters or kiosks, fully compliant with global standards.” Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor tweeted.