Key Details
The trial extends Digi Yatra’s digital passenger identification beyond domestic travel, but only for eligible passengers, flights and airport checkpoints.
Trial Feature | What Passengers Need to Know |
|---|---|
Where | Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar airports |
When | November–December 2026, with feedback informing plans for wider use in 2027 |
Who | Indian nationals with e-passports travelling on select international Air India or IndiGo flights |
Where It Can Be Used | Terminal entry, Security Hold Areas and boarding gates where trial infrastructure is available |
What Still Applies | Passengers must carry travel documents and complete airline document checks, immigration and other required formalities |
International Use Begins with a Limited Passenger Trial
Digi Yatra is already used for domestic journeys at 39 airports. Its international trial adds an e-passport-based identity credential for eligible passengers at participating checkpoints. This is not a general launch for all international flights: availability depends on the airport, flight and enabled touchpoint.
To participate, a traveller uses the Digi Yatra app to scan the e-passport’s printed machine-readable details, read its embedded chip with a compatible phone and verify a selfie. The resulting digital credential is stored in the app’s wallet on the passenger’s device for use at trial checkpoints.
Airport Access Changes; Border Procedures Do Not
The trial may reduce repeated identity checks at participating airport touchpoints. It does not replace a passport, visa requirements, airline checks or immigration clearance. Travellers should therefore not treat successful Digi Yatra registration as confirmation that their international travel documents are valid.
Passenger feedback during November and December will help determine how the system works in practice and inform the planned 2027 expansion. The release does not specify which additional flights or airports would be included then.
Policy Relevance
The immediate test is whether the process works reliably across airlines and airports without confusing passengers about which checks remain compulsory. Clear information on eligible flights, supported phones and available checkpoints will matter as much as the technology itself.
Because the trial uses passport-chip information and a facial image, its expansion also makes informed participation and transparent handling of personal data important implementation issues.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What evidence from the seven-airport trial will show whether Digi Yatra saves passengers time while remaining reliable, clearly optional and distinct from mandatory border checks?
Follow the Full Press Release Here: Digi Yatra Begins International Passenger Trials at Seven Airports