The level of innovation to felicitate contactless and safe boarding procedures at the airport is only getting better by the day. Now the Airports Authority of India is working on Facial Recognition Technology based Biometric Boarding System, as announced by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation General VK Singh. The government is planning to launch the system in March 2022. It will be launched in four airports namely, Kolkata, Pune, Varanasi and Vijayawada.
Kolkata, Pune, Varanasi And Vijayada Airports Might Get Facial Recognition Boarding System In March 2022
The launching of the system in the four airports will be the first phase of Digi Yatra Implementation. In 2020, airline company AirAsia India had introduced facial recognition procedures for passengers that would allow them to check-in without coming physically in contact with the airline or airport staff. It is a biometric system that allows passengers to scan their faces in order to proceed with boarding formalities. The same technology was installed for Vistara in July 2019.
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This is not the first time that the airline company has taken steps to ensure a hassle-free process. In 2018, it had joined hands with BIAL and launched a self-baggage-drop facility at KIA. It was aimed at reducing the wait-time at counters by giving passengers the option of self-service.
DigiYatra Services Will Use Technology To Simplify Travel
DigiYatra is an initiative that has been launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It aims to use technology in order to simplify travel for passengers. With the help of facial biometric systems, it will reduce the multiple steps from check-in to boarding that were initially quite time-consuming. More so, this will also help in maintaining a safe physical distance. MD & CEO AirAsia India, Sunil Bhaskaran, was reported as saying, ‘DigiYatra services are another step in our continuous focus on leveraging technology to redefine the new norms of travel.’
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How Does Facial Recognition Work?
In order to access this, passengers will first have to register themselves on DigiYatra. Once the registration is done, the passengers will have to scan their boarding pass and match the facial biometrics. The security officials will be checking your credentials and; further making sure that only those passengers who have been cleared by the system, board the flight. Through this software, the passengers will be verified at every touchpoint after registering only once at the gate.