Rammohan Naidu Inaugurates Digi Yatra Facility at Nine Airports, Expands to 24 Airports

Shri Naidu also underscored the timely introduction of Digi Yatra, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when minimizing physical contact became critical.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, inaugurated the Digi Yatra facility at Visakhapatnam International Airport today, while also launching the service virtually for eight other Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports, including Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore, Bagdogra, Ranchi, Patna, Raipur, and Bhubaneshwar.

During the event, the Minister emphasized how Digi Yatra has streamlined the airport experience by reducing the hassle of managing multiple documents such as boarding passes, ID proofs, and luggage tags. The system has significantly reduced passenger entry time at airports, cutting it down from an average of 15 seconds in the manual process to just 5 seconds. The initiative has already seen widespread adoption, with over 55 lakh downloads of the Digi Yatra app and more than 3 crore passengers using the service since its initial launch.

The Minister highlighted the expansion of Digi Yatra, which was first introduced on December 1, 2022, at three airports: New Delhi, Varanasi, and Bengaluru. With today’s launch, the total number of Digi Yatra-enabled airports has reached 24.

Shri Naidu also underscored the timely introduction of Digi Yatra, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when minimizing physical contact became critical. “Digi Yatra offered a much-needed contactless and paperless process at airport checkpoints. The system has not only improved efficiency but also supported the aviation sector's sustainability goals by reducing the need for paper.”

Addressing concerns about data security, Shri Naidu reiterated the government's commitment to privacy, stating, “Digi Yatra is built on strong data security protocols. Passenger information is stored securely on their smartphones, shared only temporarily with the airport, and deleted within 24 hours of departure. We prioritize the privacy of every traveler, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation will not compromise on this.”

Digi Yatra is a government initiative aimed at enhancing the passenger experience through seamless, contactless, and paperless processing using Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). This technology enables passengers to pass through key airport checkpoints by validating their identity and travel details using facial features.

The event was attended virtually by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Shri Murlidhar Mohol and Union Civil Aviation Secretary Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam. Senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the AAI were also present, including AAI Chairman Shri M. Suresh, Visakhapatnam MP Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli, and Andhra Pradesh MLA Shri P.G.V.R. Naidu.