India's Digi Yatra is no longer thinking small. The platform is now preparing to take its facial recognition technology beyond Indian borders. Technical trials have already been run on the Bengaluru-Doha route using electronic passports. The long-term goal is a single digital identity that works at both departure and arrival airports globally, as cited by The Times of India.
As per the report of The Times of India, CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi spelled out the ambition clearly. "If a passenger shares their credential with a departing airport, the same could be used at the destination," he said. Achieving this will depend on bilateral agreements and internationally accepted digital identity standards.
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The Aadhaar wall and how Digi Yatra plans to break it
One major barrier to global growth is the platform's current reliance on Aadhaar for passenger registration. Foreign travellers do not have Aadhaar. To fix this, Digi Yatra has started testing enrolment through electronic passports. This change is essential before the platform can serve any international passenger, reported The Times of India.
Immigration is the hardest part
The Bengaluru-Doha trials deliberately left out immigration checks. That process involves multiple government agencies and needs separate regulatory clearances. Until those approvals come through, cross-border travel on Digi Yatra will remain incomplete, even if the technology is ready, TOI reported.
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38 airports today, tier-3 cities tomorrow
Back home, expansion is still ongoing. Digi Yatra is now operational at 38 airports. According to Khadakbhavi, tier-1 and tier-2 airports are mostly covered. "Tier-1 and tier-2 airports are largely covered. We are now moving to tier-3 airports," he said. The domestic network continues to grow even as the platform chases a global footprint.
