TravTalk India Online Magazine
This could soon be a reality as Digi Yatra Foundation works on a pilot for electronic passport-based credential creation which is in the final phase of software testing. Suresh Khadakbhavi, Chief Executive Officer, Digi Yatra Foundation, is not resting though — his team is working on rolling out DigiYatra at more airports across India as well as using the app for border-crossing.
Hazel Jain
From being one extra step for passengers between booking and boarding to being a means for smart travel, India’s Digi Yatra app has been a big success. Digi Yatra Foundation, creaters of the app, are currently trying to set up the facility at more and more airports, including all the new airports like the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Jewar Airport.
Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, Digi Yatra Foundation, says, “We are currently at 24 airports and will add four more airports in the next month and another 13 airports in the next three to six months. That will take the total to 40 airports across India, which will also cover tier one and tier two city airports.”
Meanwhile, a more exciting news is brewing. Khadakbhavi’s team is already working on a pilot for electronic passport-based credential creation. “It’s under User Acceptance Testing (UAT), which is the final phase of software testing where real users test the software. Post that, there are certain contractual obligations and contractual documents to be signed. After this, we should be able to actually have a process where anyone with an electronic passport can enrol into Digi Yatra,” he says.
Digi Yatra also aims to conduct an international pilot project, enabling foreign passengers with electronic passports (e-passports) to experience its seamless ecosystem. “Border crossing is a sensitive topic. Therefore, we first need to align with various stakeholders, like the immigration authorities, and ensure that it is acceptable to all stakeholders. Once the electronic passport-based enrolment starts, the first step would be to make it available for international passengers flying domestic routes,” he says.
Khadakbhavi says that the team’s mission is to transform air travel into a seamless, secure, and paperless experience for every passenger. “We have recently collaborated with IndiGo by integrating our technology directly with IndiGo’s app to enable travellers to enjoy faster check-ins and smoother boarding. We will continue to innovate India’s vision for digital transformation in travel.”
IndiGo flyers can now share their boarding pass directly with the Digi Yatra app by clicking ‘Share with Digi Yatra’ in the IndiGo app after completing their web check-in. This will eliminate the need to manually scan the QR code on their physical boarding pass or upload them digitally.
