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India · passenger screening · airport security screening

Digi Yatra facial recognition boarding

In operation Status as of 19 October 2026 · Funding type: Concession or PPP

Digi Yatra lets domestic air passengers in India pass airport checkpoints using facial recognition linked to Aadhaar-verified credentials and a boarding pass 2. It is run by Digi Yatra Foundation, a not-for-profit joint venture of Airports Authority of India and private airport operators, with AAI holding 26 percent 1. AAI airports launched it from 1 December 2022 at Varanasi, with more airports on 7 June 2024, and about 6 million passengers had used it at AAI airports by mid-2024 1. The ministry told the Lok Sabha on 8 February 2024 that data stays on the passenger's phone and airports purge it 24 hours after departure 2.

Key terms

Read the guide to API and PNR passenger data.

Buyer
Ministry of Civil Aviation, through Digi Yatra Foundation
Vendor
Digi Yatra Foundation (joint venture). Technology supplier not confirmed. The AAI DigiYatra presentation to ICAO carries SITA copyright footers
Vendor based in
India (Digi Yatra Foundation)
Signed
Not published
Duration
Not published
Value
Not published
Funding
concession/PPP
Procurement route
Not published
System ownership
Digi Yatra Foundation is a not-for-profit joint venture company incorporated by Airports Authority of India and private airport operators. AAI holds 26 percent (AAI and SITA presentation to ICAO, July 2024)
Data terms
No central store of passenger personal data. Data stays in the passenger's smartphone wallet and is shared with the origin airport for ID validation, then purged from the airport system 24 hours after departure (Lok Sabha answer, 8 February 2024)

Timeline

  1. 8 February 2024: The Ministry of Civil Aviation told the Lok Sabha, in reply to Unstarred Question 1093, that the system follows privacy by design and keeps no central store of passenger data 2
  2. 19 October 2026: Recorded status is In operation.

Sources

  1. ICAO Asia Pacific, AOP-SG/8 information paper: DigiYatra Overview, Airports Authority of India presentation (17 July 2024)
  2. Lok Sabha: Unstarred Question No. 1093, Digi Yatra, Ministry of Civil Aviation answer (8 February 2024)

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to editor@bordercontracts.org. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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