These 4 airports to get India's first facial recognition biometric system for easy flight boarding

AAI has engaged NEC Corporation to implement the facial recognition biometric technology at four airports, the first-of-its-kind in the country, said minister VK Singh.

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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) was working on the country's first facial recognition technology-based biometric boarding system for passengers at Varanasi, Pune, Kolkata and Vijayawada airports, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Thursday. "This biometric boarding system is part of the first phase of Digi Yatra scheme's implementation," he said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha.

The Digi Yatra initiative seeks to promote paperless and hassle-free air travel. It is a biometrics-based digital processing system for passenger entry and related requirements at the airport, according to the government.

The AAI has engaged NEC Corporation Private Limited to implement this technology, the first of its kind in the country, at the four airports, the minister said, adding the vendor was selected through an open tender process.

The proposed Digi Yatra central eco-system has been planned to go live in March 2022, he mentioned. Digi Yatra will be scaled up in a phased manner for adoption across various airports of the country, he said.