CHENNAI: Passengers fancying quick departure formalities but unaware of the DigiYatra option will soon be assisted by specially-trained personnel at the Chennai airport.
By February 1, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will deploy more than 60 trained staff named ‘Digi Buddies’ at the departure lounge of the domestic terminal (T1 and T4) to help passengers use DigiYatra, which is a facial recognition system that speeds up airport entry and check-in processes, without having to wait in regular queues.
Entry and check-in formalities could be finished within just 30 seconds through DigiYatra. The passengers are required to install the app on their phone, register with a mobile number, provide identification credentials like Aadhaar, upload a selfie and enter the boarding pass details into the app. The passenger also has to make sure that the name on the boarding pass, flight ticket and Aadhaar match exactly. At the airport entry gate, a camera will capture the passengers’ faces and automatically allow them inside.
However, the process could prove to be daunting for some passengers, especially senior citizens and those who are not tech-savvy.
This is where the service of Digi Buddies becomes relevant, an AAI official said, as they will help the passengers through every step of the process. This will also provide a fillip to the total number of domestic passengers using the DigiYatra facility at Chennai airport, the official said. According to official data, around 14% of passengers at the domestic terminal currently use DigiYatra, whereas the target set by the Ministry of Civil Aviation was only 10%. However, the AAI has targeted DigiYatra usage by 40% of passengers, the official said, adding that the Digi Buddies scheme will be a step towards that.