Bystand to be strolling the bustling Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) without ever grabbing for your passport or boarding pass at the security gate. This vision of “seamless skies” is getting closer to reality as IndiGo, together with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), Digi Yatra, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), effectively executed technical trials of a biometric-enabled international journey.
It is a milestone that qualifies Bengaluru to be the first airport in India to join IATA’s global “One ID" campaign, a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) initiative to harmonise contactless travel across the largest aviation hubs globally.
How does it work, face-as-your-pass?
The trial was performed on a state-of-the-art Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) platform. In this system, passengers’ identities may securely be identified on the booking side, and are instantly confirmed at every touch, from the entrance at the terminal to the boarding gate, and are done with a facial scan only.
- Digital Integration: The technology connects airline apps to airport systems directly. When verified, your boarding pass and travel information is automatically identified by the terminal's hardware.
- SSI is done by storing identity system data in a secure manner & then verifying it across the various systems (so, you do not have to store it in a central data center that is vulnerable).
Privacy and Security: Taking a “Privacy-First” Approach
Since biometrics is a sensitive issue, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, insisted that the system is based on a consent-driven model. “Digi Yatra’s privacy-first approach ensures that there is limited, purposeful usage of data,” Khadakbhavi said. "By following IATA’s One ID standards, we have actually been brought up to international travel ecosystems with interoperability. The result has set a global-wide and fast standard. Establishing a better way" Suffice you to say the successful trial makes Bengaluru (BLR) Airport a model of Indian aviation in its own right.
The trials, said George Fanthome, Chief Technical Officer of BIAL, are part of the airport’s overall vision of powering contactless travel at scale. “This makes BLR Airport the only airport in India to participate in this IATA-led global initiative in collaboration with major global airports and airlines,” Fanthome added.
What This Means for Travellers
For regular international flyers, this translates to a cut in wait times, as well as the “document anxiety” of continually pulling out passports and paper passes. Currently in the trial stage, the success of the PoC implies that an international corridor only biometrically-enabled could shortly become the standard at Kempegowda International Airport.
