IGI to install facial recognition technology, trials to begin from tomorrow

Indira Gandhi International Airport will roll out a three-month trial to demonstrate a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel Experience (BEST) from Friday. The trial will be based on Facial Recognition Technology.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) spokesperson said, "This is an integrated solution for the e-gates, facial recognition cameras, the software platform from one player. It will truly be a seamless experience for passengers. Participation in the trials is purely voluntary and at the discretion of the passengers. A suitable consent form will be signed by the passengers. This trial will run for 3 months. Subsequent roll-out plans will be made."

With this technology, passengers' entry would be automatically processed based on facial recognition system at all checkpoints including airport entry, entry into security checks, and aircraft boarding.

This initiative has been taken up by DIAL with the help of technical and software support provided by Vision-Box, a multinational technology company headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal.

The trial will give an end-to-end solution to the passengers to understand the seamless flow of the process.

The enrollment process for the passengers with valid flight tickets and government ID proofs will start at the registration kiosk. Post this, their facial details will be captured by the camera.

Simultaneously, the documents provided by the passenger will be validated by a CISF personnel present at the kiosk. He will physically check the applicant's ID proof and confirm on the system.

Subsequently, the passenger can approach the dedicated departure e-gate, which is fitted with facial recognition cameras. The e-gates will open automatically after the facial recognition process is completed. The passenger can then proceed towards the check-in counters to drop their bags. If they are not carrying any bags, they can head straight to security screening, where the facial recognition cameras are installed.

Once the passenger clears the security screening formality he can go and board his flight through the dedicated boarding e-gates. These gates, too, open automatically after the camera recognizes the passenger's registered face.

During the trial period, the biometric details will be stored temporarily to enable the departure process. As soon as the flight departs, the data of the registered passengers will be deleted.

There will be no storage of the biometric details by the Airport.

This solution is in compliance with the guidelines of Privacy-by-Design, an internationally recognized standard for privacy.

Once the complete "Digi Yatra" platform comes into existence, it will expedite the boarding process by facilitating one-time registration by the passengers. Each time a passenger travels (anywhere in India), the concerned Airport with the Biometric Boarding solution installed can go through the system to validate their details.