Civil Aviation Ministry launches DigiYatra for air passengers

New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): The Ministry of Civil Aviation is adding digital experience for air travellers through its DigiYatra platform, a new initiative to ease the security and boarding procedure which will use Aadhaar card or passport number and a digital mode to verify passengers. The 'DigiYatra' is an industry-led initiative co-ordinated by the ministry in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India's vision to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society. This follows Air Sewa which brings together all the stakeholders on a common platform for handling customer grievances and disseminating real-time data. Union Minister for Civil Aviation, P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju expressed hope that 'DigiYatra' initiative will transform the flying experience for passengers and position Indian Aviation amongst the most innovative air networks in the world. The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha today launched the report on 'DigiYatra'. He also briefed the media about the 'DigiYatra' initiative of the Ministry. He said that 'DigiYatra' initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey. Sinha said that the Ministry has created a Technical Committee comprising industry stakeholders which will submit its recommendations in 30 days. These propositions would be open for public comments and discussions for another 30 days. These would then be translated into a time-bound action plan. Sinha said that the DigiYatra initiative envisages providing airline travellers in India, a pioneering 'digitally unified flying experience' across all stages of their journey. All aviation stakeholders - airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless exchange of data and information. He said that these standards can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers. Sinha further informed that the platform will be built on 4 key pillars, like connected passengers, connected airports, connected flying and connected systems which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking. Passengers can optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions, They can walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions, receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc. Passengers can engage in customised digital offerings at experience zones, get real time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey, conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps. The Air travellers can stay connected during flights and indulge in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally, get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt , and submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback. The initiative emerged after six months of comprehensive discourse with various ecosystem players.(ANI)