Latest news with #Khadakbhavi
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Digi Yatra to expand to 41 airports by 2025 end: CEO Khadakbhavi
New Delhi: Digi Yatra, the app that allows domestic passengers fast airport entry and boarding, is looking to expand to over 41 airports by the end of 2025. Currently, Digi Yatra can be used at 24 airports, including metro airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. "We are awaiting launch at four more airports, and in the next three to six months, Digi Yatra will go live at 13 more airports. Upcoming new airports like Navi Mumbai International Airport and Noida International Airport will go live with Digi Yatra directly," said Suresh Khadakbhavi, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Digi Yatra Foundation, in an interview. Launched in December 2022, Digi Yatra has a user base of over 14 million now. The services are currently live at eight private and 16 Airports Authority of India-operated airports. Also read | DGCA's surveillance detects several safety flaws at airports, aircraft The Digi Yatra CEO said that there are 25,000-30,000 new enrolments every day. 'We've enabled over 60 million journeys so far and by the end of 2025, the use base will be around 20 million. The adoption rate averages between 30% and 35% across Indian airports," said Khadakbhavi. In the coming few months, Digi Yatra services are expected to be expanded for foreign nationals as well. This expansion will be based on the back of a roll-out of e-passport services. On 24 June, the government announced the roll-out of e-passport services for Indian nationals. The e-passports are enabled with a chip with biometric details. Digi Yatra is currently being tested with e-passport enrolment, which will also enable foreign nationals to use the services. Currently, only Indian nationals can enroll for the services through their Aadhaar card, driving license or voter ID card. 'For example, a foreign citizen working out of India can enroll on Digi Yatra by using their e-passport credentials. Just like Indian nationals, foreign nationals will be able to use the services for domestic flights," said Khadakbhavi. Also read | Reliance Aerostructure to manufacture Dassault's Falcon 2000 business jets in India The Digi Yatra Foundation is in talks with the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) to sign an agreement for the same. After the agreement, there will be access to verify data with ICAO's Public Key Directory (PKD), which would enable a secure exchange of cryptographic keys related to e-passports. Khadakbhavi is looking at a timeline of three months to implement the rollout. While Digi Yatra will be expanded for foreign nationals taking domestic flights, enabling this for international flights looks difficult for the moment, Khadakbhavi said. With the involvement of multiple stakeholders like the ministry of external affairs, the Bureau of Immigration and the ministry of home affairs, enabling such services is a tricky thing, as per the Digi Yatra CEO. 'When we talk about the international process, it means automated border control, which is a sensitive area. We would not want to fail in this and a good process needs to be defined," he said. He also said that with European Union building EU Digital Identity Wallet, there could be interoperability in the future. Also read | Air India eyes profitability with fleet overhaul and customer satisfaction boost There have been concerns around data privacy in the past including sharing and usage of data. However, the Digi Yatra Foundation has maintained its stance that the data is stored in a user's phone and the data shared with the airport is purged in 24 hours. 'We are not storing any personal data on any central location; the entire data is decentralized. If one wants to hack the database, they will have to hack all the phones of all users," added Khadakbhavi.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
80% domestic passengers expected to use Digi Yatra app by 2028: CEO
The Digi Yatra Foundation expects nearly 80 per cent of domestic air travellers in India to use its facial recognition-based airport check-in app by 2028, up from the current daily usage of 30–35 per cent, chief executive officer, Suresh Khadakbhavi, told Business Standard. 'Maybe, language is a barrier and that will be addressed as we make our app compatible with various languages,' he said. Currently, the app is available only in English. However, five additional languages — Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi and Kannada — will be introduced by July. 'Right now, we are testing them. By July, users can choose either of the six languages,' Khadakbhavi said. Over time, the app aims to support all 22 constitutionally recognised Indian languages. The app, which allows passengers to verify their identity using facial recognition instead of physical documents, currently accepts only Aadhaar for enrolment. That is set to change. 'You can't enrol on Digi Yatra using your driving licence right now. We are conducting user acceptance tests (UAT) for it. We are adding that. In a month, you will be able to enrol not just on the basis of an Aadhaar card, but also on your driving licence,' he elaborated. Digi Yatra is currently operational at 24 airports, with plans to expand to 41 airports by March 2026, he said. 'Currently, 30–35 per cent of all domestic passengers per day are using the Digi Yatra app. We aim to take this number to 70–80 per cent by 2028,' he said. The foundation is also planning a pilot project for international use of the app. 'We were targeting the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association, which took place between June 1 and June 3 in Delhi. We wanted to do at least one PoC (proof of concept) by that time. However, we were not able to do it,' Khadakbhavi said. The pilot would involve e-passport-based credential verification for foreign expatriates who travel frequently within India. 'The pilot project will be for expats who work out of India, and travel within India. They can verify themselves using e-passports and then use Digi Yatra for domestic travel,' he said. If successful, it could pave the way for the use of Digi Yatra on international flights as well. 'Discussions are underway with multiple countries,' he added. 'We are holding primary discussions in countries of various regions — the West Asia is one, Europe and North America are others. As yet, nothing has been put on paper... If we find a country ready then this pilot study can happen in the next six months,' he said. Looking beyond airports, the foundation is also eyeing an integration of Digi Yatra with hotel check-in processes. 'I am expecting that in the next year, we could have them on our app. I am expecting, but it may or may not,' he said. However, this would require policy-level interventions. 'Today, a hotel can accept four or five IDs including Aadhaar card and PAN card as valid proofs. We want Digi Yatra to be added to that list. Once that happens at the policy level, we are sorted,' Khadakbhavi said. 'If Digi Yatra can be used for such a sensitive thing as air travel where the perception of threat is higher, then why can't it be used at any place, like checking into a hotel, where your identity needs to be validated?' he asked. 'Verifying your credentials through our app will be easier, less time-consuming, and more privacy-preserving than giving your ID card to the reception staff, who then take a photo or print a copy of that,' he said.
