Digi Yatra Revolutionises Airline Travel in India with Decentralised ID Technology
India’s Digi Yatra app has emerged as a game-changer, offering a seamless travel experience that eliminates the need for physical identification and boarding passes. By leveraging decentralised identity (DID) technology, Digi Yatra is enhancing the passenger experience and easing the entire check-in process.
Launched by the Digi Yatra Foundation, the app has garnered immense popularity, with over 8 million downloads and more than 38 million uses across 24 airports in just 22 months. The app’s success lies in its ability to merge the physical and digital worlds by replacing traditional identification methods with a secure, digital identity. Siddharth Sharma, head of IT operations at Digi Yatra Foundation, highlights that the app represents one of the largest and most successful implementations of self-sovereign identity (SSI) technology, a decentralised model that allows users to control their online data. The concept of self-sovereign identity is at the heart of the app’s design. It enables passengers to authenticate their identity digitally, making air travel smoother and more secure. According to Sharma, the app digitises the functions previously performed by physical government-issued IDs and boarding passes. Rather than hunting for a boarding pass or risking the loss of an ID, passengers can now simply stand before a camera at the terminal entrance, and their identity is automatically verified.
The registration process on the app is straightforward. Passengers begin by entering their Aadhaar number and completing an OTP-based authentication. Once verified, UIDAI sends the relevant details to the user’s phone, which are then processed by the app. Importantly, the app only collects the minimum necessary information, such as the passenger’s name, age (derived from the date of birth), and gender. Aadhaar images are used solely to validate presence, ensuring that the person registering is indeed the one using the app. Following registration, passengers take a selfie, which is compared to the Aadhaar photo via a facial recognition engine. If the images match, the data is sent to the Digi Yatra backend, where a “verified credential” (VC) is issued. This VC, containing only the necessary information, is sent back to the user’s phone and stored securely in the Digi Yatra wallet. Once the VC is created, all personal data is purged from the system, ensuring privacy.
With the VC stored on the user’s phone, passengers can quickly pass through airport security. The process works by integrating two documents: the government ID (through the VC) and the boarding pass. To link the boarding pass, passengers scan the QR code or upload a PDF version of it. The app only extracts the essential details from the QR code, such as name, seat number, and flight details, ensuring privacy at every step. At the terminal entrance, passengers stand before a camera, where real-time facial recognition matches their selfie with the VC image. Once validated, a request is sent to the airline’s system to confirm that the passenger is on the flight. If everything matches, the gate opens, and the passenger can proceed.
The Digi Yatra app is designed with privacy at its core. The data shared with airports is deleted from their biometric gallery within 24 hours of a flight’s departure. Passengers can also opt-out by deleting the app, leaving no data trail behind. Importantly, the system does not retain any centralised database, which enhances security and privacy. Digi Yatra also uses blockchain technology for certificates and digital signatures on the VC, ensuring the integrity of the data. The system adheres to W3C standards and integrates AI and machine learning for facial recognition and QR code validation. By integrating decentralised identity technology into air travel, the Digi Yatra app is paving the way for a more efficient, secure, and user-friendly airport experience. As airports and airlines continue to embrace digital transformation, this app serves as a prime example of how technology can enhance convenience and privacy while streamlining the passenger journey. For those travelling through India’s airports, Digi Yatra offers a glimpse into the future of air travel—one that is fast, secure, and entirely digital.
