New Delhi, January 22: Air-travel in India will soon be made paperless and hassle-free with the roll-out of the much-awaited 'digi yatra' facility for domestic flights. Under the new initiative, airlines will make a provision to collect the digi yatra ID of the passenger for domestic travel at the time of the booking. For this, the passengers will have the option to furnish any one of the approved IDs (Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID, etc). The aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday put in place norms for the roll-out of the digi yatra facility.

With the new rule in place, paperwork will be minimised under the e-boarding process for airport entry and boarding flights using documents such as a passenger's Aadhaar number and mobile phone, among others.  Reports inform that the digi yatra ID will be authenticated during the first travel at an airport that is equipped with such a facility. Longer Security Checks at Indian Airports: Now Flyers May Have to Scan Wallets, Mobile Phones & Other Electronic Items Separately.

The airline will ensure that e-tickets have a 2D/QR barcode following “one person, one ticket & one code” rule.  According to reports, the DGCA has issued the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on procedures and requirements for the implementation of e-boarding process. The facility cannot be availed by international fliers as the airlines will also have to collect passport number at several points. India to be 2nd Fastest Growing Nation For Passenger Traffic.

According to the norms laid by the DGCA, airlines shall share the passenger data, including digi yatra ID, with biometric boarding system of airport operators at least six hours before the flight on a secure link for the purpose of ticket validation and ID validation, following appropriate agreement for data sharing. “In case the passenger prefers to use Aadhaar as ID proof, the system shall comply with all regulatory requirement of UIDAI for Aadhaar capturing and authentication. The system shall not collect or store Aadhaar number or Virtual Aadhaar number," the norms stated. Mumbai Airport to Be Partially Shut for 22 Days in February and March 2019.

Here's how Digi Yatra policy would work:

  1. As per DGCA rules, the domestic airlines will make a provision to collect the digi yatra ID of the passenger for domestic travel at the time of the booking irrespective of the channel.

  2. As per CAR, the fliers will have an option to give any one of the approved identification document (ID) like passport, voter card, Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, service photo identity card issued by state/central government, PSUs, local bodies or public limited companies, among others.

  3. According to the DGCA, the digi yatra ID created will be authenticated during the first travel by the passenger at an airport which offers such a facility.

  4. In the authentication process, the ID of the passenger will be verified and validated by an authorised security officer and this will activate the digi yatra ID.

  5. At the same time, the airline will ensure that e-tickets are issued with a 2D/QR barcode following "one person, one ticket & one code" rule so that each passenger, even in a group booking, is issued with an individual ticket having a unique code.

The DGCA norms stated that the airline operator and the airport operator shall comply with data protection and data privacy requirements as per required. According to CAR, the airline operator and the airport operator may follow the detailed procedure for uniform implementation of e-boarding system as per the Digi Yatra policy, if they plan to operationalise digi yatra for passengers who have voluntarily opted to provide required details at the time of the booking of the air tickets.

The Mumbai airport from January 2019 has introduced a digital boarding process for domestic flights from its terminal 2 (T2), thereby eliminating many pre-flight boarding checks. Under the system, security personnel wouldn't have to stamp the boarding pass.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2019 04:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).