Guwahati airport gets 'Digi Yatra' facility

Guwahati: The government on Sunday rolled out the ‘Digi Yatra’ facility at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here.

Assam Industries & Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said such a facility has been launched for the first time in the northeast.

"Earlier, people needed to wait in long queues at Guwahati airport. This will be a thing of the past from now," he said, while inaugurating the service.

Union Civil Aviation Secretary Rajeev Bansal said ‘Digi Yatra’ is a new initiative in air travel in the country and more progress will be made in future.

“Passengers will be able to register their documents on the ‘Digi Yatra’ app and enter the airport by scanning their faces. The gate will open as soon as the face will be recognised on the camera," he said.

The service will be available in three major areas of the airport -- the first entrance, check-in and boarding areas.

"This is a novel attempt by the government to make air travel hassle-free. We hope that the majority of passengers in the northeast will use this facility in the near future," LGBI chief airport officer Utpal Baruah said.

As of now, the ‘Digi Yatra’ facility is available for Akasa and IndiGo passengers in Guwahati, and it will be offered by all other airlines by September, he said.

The facility provides for contactless and seamless movement of passengers at various checkpoints at airports based on the Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).