SITA, the global leader in air transport technology, is installing its Smart Path technology across nine Indian airports in a partnership with Airports Authority of India (AAI) as part of the country’s wider Digi Yatra initiative. 

It introduces SITA’s transformative, industry-leading contactless boarding pass system to reduce waiting times, creating a seamless travel experience for passengers, and improves airport efficiency for every traveller.

It is the first phase of a July 2023 landmark deal between SITA and AAI to provide technology to 43 of India’s biggest airports. The deal will see improvements to over 2,700 passenger touchpoints, signifying one of the largest deployments for passenger processing.

AAI will use SITA’s state-of-the-art products and solutions, including SITA Smart Path, Passenger Flow Management (PFM) solution, and Face Pods. These technologies offer biometric solutions at most touchpoints across the airport, meaning a contact-free travel experience across nine Indian airports, putting passengers in control of their journey, cutting down on wait times throughout the airports.

The partnership is a key element of AAI’s strategy to digitalize Indian airports as part of Digi Yatra, an initiative created by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation to revolutionize air travel in India by providing passengers with a paperless airport experience using advanced facial recognition technology.

The Digi Yatra went live at an inauguration event at Visakhapatnam Airport attended by the Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Rammohan Naidu,  Chairman of the Airports Authority of India.

Under this initiative, SITA technology has been deployed at airports in Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur, Bagdogra, Patna, Goa (Dabolim) and Coimbatore.

SITA’s biometric technology will transform the way travellers navigate through Indian airports.  SITA’s Asia Pacific President, Sumesh Patel said: “With a focus on delivering Digital Travel, improving airport efficiency, and future-proofing operations with smart, agile solutions, India has a unique opportunity to revolutionize its airports with truly world-class infrastructure.  It is vital in this connected era that travel across the globe is as seamless as possible, and we are ready to help India continue to innovate in their digitalisation efforts with SITA technology as the DigiYatra initiative spreads across India.”

India sees Digi Yatra as a transformative force for the aviation industry and society. Through its collaboration with SITA, the initiative will establish new benchmarks in passenger experience and operational efficiency at airports across the country.

In 2023, over 20 million users experienced Digi Yatra, and with its upcoming availability at 28 Indian airports, Digi Yatra aims to cover approximately 90% of India’s domestic flying population. The Digi Yatra Foundation plans to align with IATA’s One ID initiative for global interoperability, further improving the seamless travel experience. 

SITA has been working with the Indian government since 1952 and is a supporter of the “Make In India” initiative, increasing its India-based support in alignment with government aspirations.