BENGALURU: The biometric-based self-boarding system at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), that enables passengers to breeze through security checks, has been put on hold till August 25. Stringent security checks have been cited as the reason for suspending this passenger amenity, late last week.
The Digi Yatra project, ‘Early Go Live’ by airport operator Banglaore International Airport Limited (BIAL) was launched on June 22 for passengers of one Vistara flight, the UK864 from Bengaluru to Mumbai. Seamless and quick passage for a passenger from registration to boarding was its USP.
A BIAL spokesperson told The New Indian Express, “Due to enhanced security measures at the KIA there has been congestion at check-in during peak hours. To enable the security agencies to allocate adequate manpower and facilitate movement of passengers through the terminal, the Digi Yatra trial would be on hold until August 25, 2019. This is a temporary suspension of this trial and is not expected to have an impact on the overall roll-out.”
Sources at Vistara confirmed that the usage of the biometric technology-based security clearance was cancelled last week. The Vistara team refused to give an official statement on the issue despite repeated requests for the same, over a period of four days. As per the initial announcement made at the time of launch, all Vistara flights were supposed to incorporate this technology for its passengers by October 2019.
Explaining the process, a BIAL release issued in June said that passengers need to enrol their ID and biometric data, combined with their flight details, before entering the terminal. As they travel they will be authenticated and verified at every touch point by biometric technology.