Technologies are improving and our very own Silicon Valley of India, is taking a big leap. Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has started working towards making international travel hassle free. The authorities at the airport recently have successfully run technical trials of a fully contactless international travel system which requires no physical documents, only biometrics.
Bengaluru airport teamed up with DigiYatra, global aviation body IATA and IndiGo to make international travel easier for passengers. Gone will be the days of repeatedly pulling out your passport at multiple checkpoints. This initiative aims at biometric entries and hands free air travel. The trial run ensured a seamless passenger journey — from ticket booking and travel management to airport movement — all powered by biometric technology.
Similar to the domestic DigiYatra facility, this too will have app-to-app integration for sharing boarding details without the need for physical documents.
Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO DigiYatra Foundation said, “What we have demonstrated with IndiGo, BLR Airport, and IATA goes beyond a successful PoC, it is a glimpse into the future of international travel. We enabled a seamless, end-to-end digital journey where a passenger’s identity is securely established in advance and verified across airport touchpoints using only their face. Built on Digi Yatra’s privacy-first, consent-led framework, this approach ensures minimal, purpose-bound data usage”.
At the core of the trial was the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) based ecosystem. This required passengers to share their credentials at an initial stage and technology would do the rest of the work hassle free by seamlessly sharing information between apps.
Kim Macaulay, IATA’s Chief Information and Data Officer in another statement added, “India is emerging as a global leader in digital and contactless travel. The work being done by IndiGo, Digi Yatra and Bangalore International Airport Limited clearly demonstrates what is possible when innovation, scale and collaboration come together. This proof-of-concept shows how India’s digital identity ecosystem can be extended beyond domestic travel to enable seamless international journeys, built on globally aligned standards”.
So, no more standing in long queues or panicking every time you search the wrong pocket for your passport! The future is here and India is steadily climbing a lot of stairs to be at the very top.
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