The Indian government is preparing to extend the Digi Yatra facial recognition system to international departures, with pilot testing planned at major airports between October and December 2026.
Key Details of the Pilot
According to officials familiar with the matter, trials will be conducted at
Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport)
Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport)
Bengaluru (Kempegowda International Airport)
HyderabadCochin (Kochi)
Delhi and Mumbai are expected to be among the first airports to implement the facility.
In the initial phase, the system will cover terminal entry and security checkpoints, and potentially boarding gates. Integration with immigration processes will be taken up at a later stage once the system’s performance is evaluated.
Scope of the First Phase
Benefits will apply only on the departure side.
Emigration checks will continue as per existing protocols.There will be no change for passengers on inbound (arrival) flights in this phase.Digi Yatra currently enables contactless, paperless travel for domestic passengers using facial recognition at e-gates. The upcoming trials aim to bring similar convenience to international travellers while maintaining existing security and immigration safeguards.
Background and Future Plans
Digi Yatra is a voluntary, biometric-based platform developed under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and managed by the Digi Yatra Foundation. It has already been rolled out at numerous airports across India for domestic flights.
Officials indicated that discussions with relevant authorities are progressing, and the long-term vision includes making the Digi Yatra ecosystem interoperable with overseas airports and immigration systems. However, cross-border integration remains at an early stage.
The pilot is expected to help assess technical readiness, passenger experience and operational coordination before any wider rollout.
Travellers should note that participation in Digi Yatra remains voluntary, and conventional document-based processes will continue to be available.