New Delhi, May 30, 2026: India’s biometric-based air travel platform Digi Yatra has crossed a major milestone, enabling more than 10 crore seamless passenger journeys across 38 airports nationwide, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The platform has also recorded over 2.4 crore downloads on Android and iOS devices, making it one of the world's fastest-growing digital aviation initiatives, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a release.
What is Digi Yatra?
Digi Yatra is a facial recognition-based digital travel platform that allows passengers to move through airport checkpoints without physical identity verification or paper boarding passes. The system uses biometric authentication to provide a seamless, paperless and contactless travel experience.
How Has Digi Yatra Improved Airport Efficiency?
According to the Ministry, Digi Yatra has significantly reduced passenger processing times at airport entry gates.
Average verification time reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds per passenger
Faster passenger movement through terminals
Reduced congestion during peak travel hours
Lower manual verification workload for airport operators
The ministry said the technology has helped optimize airport infrastructure while improving passenger convenience.
Environmental Benefits
Digi Yatra has also contributed to sustainability efforts by reducing dependence on printed boarding passes, saving thousands of sheets of paper every day across participating airports.
India's Growing Air Travel Demand
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the milestone reflects increasing public trust in digital travel solutions.
He noted that daily domestic passenger traffic in India has grown from less than 2 lakh passengers per day in 2014 to over 5 lakh passengers on several occasions during the past three years.
The government projects annual passenger traffic across Indian airports to reach:
50 crore passengers by 2030
Nearly 100 crore passengers by 2040
To support this growth, the ministry is deploying multiple digital aviation initiatives, including Digi Yatra, self-baggage drop facilities, enhanced air traffic control automation, the AirSewa grievance portal, and AI-powered digital twins for airport operations.
Digi Yatra Expansion Plans
The minister announced that Digi Yatra is currently operational at 38 airports and will be expanded to 27 additional airports by 2027.
Upcoming greenfield airports expected to launch with full Digi Yatra integration include:
Navi Mumbai International Airport
Noida International Airport
Bhogapuram International Airport
More Regional Language Support Planned
To improve accessibility, Digi Yatra currently supports 11 languages. The government plans to add 11 more regional languages by the end of 2026, aiming to make digital air travel more inclusive for passengers across India.
How Secure is Digi Yatra?
The Ministry emphasized that Digi Yatra follows a privacy-by-design framework. Passenger data is encrypted and stored on the user's device, and information is shared with the departure airport only for a limited period to facilitate identity verification.
Key Highlights
Digi Yatra surpasses 10 crore passenger journeys
Available at 38 airports across India
Over 2.4 crore app downloads
Passenger verification time reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds
Expansion planned to 27 more airports
Support for 22 languages expected by end-2026
Passenger traffic projected to reach 50 crore by 2030 and 100 crore by 2040
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said Digi Yatra remains a key pillar of India's Digital India initiative and the government's broader effort to make air travel faster, smarter and more accessible for millions of passengers.
Ends.
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