New Delhi, May 22: The Airport Authority of India is mulling over issuing a unique ID for domestic flyers to ensure paperless boarding at all airports. AAI has roped in four private airports, located in metros, for the preliminary execution of the project, termed as digital yatra or 'Digi-Yatra (DY).

The Air Sewa portal, managed by the Ministry of Aviation, is expected to add the Digi-Yatra section on the website. The feature will allow flyers to individually generate the unique ID number, after furnishing their Aadhaar details.

After the DY project is rolled-out, travellers will have to furnish their unique ID while booking the tickets. The e-portals of private carriers will also enable the option of providing the unique ID for domestic journeys.

For first-time booking using the unique ID, the iris and face of the customer would be captured at the airport and saved in the DGCA database, said AAI chief Guruprasad Mohapatra. In the subsequent bookings, the process would not be repeated, he added.

The booking of tickets using under DY would remain optional. Those passengers choosing to opt out will have to undergo the incumbent process of boarding the flight -- which involves showing paper ID cards and tickets at each deck for clearance.

Under the DY, no hard copy of identification papers would be required for check-in and security-clearance. The passengers would only be required to furnish their unique ID and biometric information for clearing the entry point.

The digital-yatra has already been enabled at Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports, which are being operated under the Public Private Partnership model. The AAI aims to replicate the same at all state-owned airports across the nation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2018 11:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).