BENGALURU: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) Bengaluru, after successfully conducting trial runs, is preparing to lay the groundwork for fully digitised international passenger movement at its Terminal 2 (T2), effectively poised to be one of the first international airports in the world to do so. Chief technical officer of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) George Fanthome spoke to TNIE exclusively about what the change would be like on the ground, and how the collection and processing of passenger data would work behind the scenes.
The rubric for the process is the same as Digi Yatra, and like Digi Yatra, it will be optional for the passengers. Fanthome added that only the essential minimum of data would be used for the process, which would not be stored long-term. “Behind the scenes, a passenger’s digital wallet securely shares only the minimum verified data required at each stage, with explicit consent. This includes a standards-based digital passport credential, optional booking or boarding data, and biometric reference data used purely to confirm identity. Importantly, there is no central storage of biometrics or full passport data; biometric data is encrypted, used only for the journey, and deleted within 24 hours after travel,” Fanthome said.
In the context of Indian airports, KIA has been a ground zero for this, acting as a pilot study for ascertaining the feasibility of this infrastructure. “The proof of concepts validated that digital identity wallets can function seamlessly in real-world airline and airport environments, that passenger data can be securely shared in advance with consent, and that biometric verification can replace traditional document checks across touchpoints,” said Fanthome. He also added that rather than passengers feeling the process to be complicated, the technology would remain “largely invisible” to them.
While KIA gears up to be the one of the few international airports in the world to support this, the lack of standardisation would mean that passengers would have to carry documentation with them anyway, in the severe likelihood of the destination airports requiring it. “International contactless travel requires alignment across multiple layers of airports, airlines, governments, border control authorities, and global standards bodies. While many airports globally are exploring similar capabilities, large scale implementation depends on regulatory approvals, cross-border acceptance of digital credentials, and standardisation of systems,” Fanthome said.