Recently, I traveled through Asia-Pacific and was pleasantly surprised at the level of automation now available at major airports, including in the Philippines, Thailand, Bangkok, Brunei, Kazakhstan and Australia. While the level of automation and biometric technology varies on an airport-by-airport basis, the overriding impression is that Asian airports are pushing ahead, and passengers are enthusiastically adopting time-saving technology.
SITA is the air transport industry’s IT provider, 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. With more than 2,500 customers, it provides solutions at more than 1,000 airports located in over 200 countries and territories and works with more than 70 governments to strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel.
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The SITA pathway to seamless travel in India
A decade ago, commercial aviation focused on China’s impressive growth and the opportunities it would bring. Today, that focus is shifting westwards to India, where airlines such as Air India and IndiGo have placed massive new aircraft orders as the demand for air travel continues to surge.
Photo: SITA
In India, SITA is partnering with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to unlock the future of seamless digital travel as part of India’s DigiYatra initiative. The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation created this initiative to revolutionize air travel in the country by providing passengers with a paperless airport experience using advanced facial recognition technology.
SITA APAC President Sumesh Patel spoke exclusively with Simple Flying about the project. He said it differs from other countries because the Indian government is driving it. SITA has already implemented its systems at around 14 airports in India, and in 2023, more than 20 million passengers used the system.
Photo: SITA
The task now is to implement state-of-the-art products and solutions, including contactless boarding pass systems, at 28 additional airports. The heart of the issue is that surging demand and projected passenger numbers are outpacing airport capacity, meaning airports must adopt more intelligent technology and automation to do more within the existing infrastructure. Patel added:
“The reason why India is accelerated is because of the aviation boom, and at the same time, you can’t continue building new airports at the same pace as the passengers and aircraft are growing. There’s a focus on automation so airports can do more with what they have by adopting new technology to make the process more efficient and seamless.”
A cloud-based solution makes it work
The DigiYatra implementation is the first to be deployed on the cloud, and one of its benefits is that it can be implemented much faster than deploying the whole infrastructure at each airport. That allowed SITA to implement the system at nine airports over four months rather than taking nine to twelve months in a typical deployment.
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It is also a greener solution because each airport does not need big servers and equipment, and it complies with India’s privacy laws and data protection policies. Patel said that countries with multiple airports should consider using the cloud, particularly now that it is operational and a proven solution in India.
“Before the biometrics, we deployed the entire passenger processing system, including the check-in, the kiosks and the baggage reconciliation system over the cloud. That was deployed around 18 months ago and when we needed to deploy the DigiYatra biometrics, we followed the same model of doing it over the cloud.”
In India, there are multiple touchpoints where documents must be checked, and passengers must show a valid boarding pass or E-ticket and their identification to enter the terminal. Protecting private data is always a high priority, and for SITA, that often means adapting their solutions to meet local privacy and data retention laws and practices.
Photo: SITA
Here is how it works at Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport
Patel said that in India, the key document is the Aadhaar Card (national identity card), which is issued and owned by the government. The cloud-based system allows passengers to connect with that system and add biometrics for a gateless experience:
- Download the DigYatra App to a mobile device and register with the OTP you will receive on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
- Upload your Addhaar-verified Identity Credentials using DigiLocker or Offline Aadhaar.
- Upload your selfie picture.
- Update your upcoming travel details by uploading your Boarding Pass.
- A message will appear saying you are now registered on DigYatra for your upcoming travel.
- Enter the terminal by scanning your bar-coded boarding pass and looking into the facial recognition camera.
- Drop your luggage and repeat the process at DigiYatra gate to enter the security screening area.
- Using biometric technology, you can enjoy a gateless boarding experience.
Photo: SITA
When SITA deploys the system at a new airport, it also deploys Digi Buddys. These people help first-time travelers and other passengers access the system and guide them through the DigiYatra process so that they know what to do the next time they travel.
Patel added that once these solutions are implemented and as passenger numbers swell, the traditional check-in counters will all but disappear. There will be some counters for those who need help, but this is an example of how using biometric technology can allow the airport and airlines to do more within their existing infrastructure rather than building new terminals or airports.
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