Have you ever been late for your flight and found yourself wishing you could just breeze past all the security checks without having to wait in long queues and show your ID, boarding pass at every checkpoint? That day is not far as the Indian government has launched a pilot project at the Hyderabad airport to make security check-ins faster and easier. Under the project, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad has introduced a new Facial Recognition (FR) system for passengers without them having to show an ID card at the security checks.
The trials, which started from July 1 and continued till July 3, were carried out under the government's Digi Yatra programme. On the first day, about 180 passengers enrolled voluntarily for the trials at the airport. The move is a step ahead in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative as Digi Yatra would facilitate paperless travel and will let travellers avoid identity check at multiple points. In the first phase, the airport has set up dedicated FR Registration counters near the Domestic Departure Gates No 1 and 3.
Those who have registered will be automatically processed based on the facial recognition system at checkpoints such as entry point check, entry in to Security Check and aircraft boarding. This will also facilitate self-bag drop and check-in, using facial recognition to identify a person. If you are interested in FR enrollment, you can visit any of the FR Registration Counters from 8 am to 8 pm at the airport with a valid government ID card and contact details to get your face captured by the camera.
A CISF personnel will physically check the applicant’s government ID proof and post successful verification, a unique DigiYatra/FR ID for the passenger will be generated. According to a PTI report, an exclusive e-gate is available at Departure Gate No. 3, where the enrolled passenger can get his or her boarding card scanned and face the FR Camera. The camera will then match and verify the credentials along with the itinerary details. Once the verification is done, the passenger gets checked-in and the e-gate opens. All this is done in a matter of a few seconds.
“Since, this is a trial phase, CISF personnel will still physically verify the travel docs and ID details of FR-registered passenger at the departure gate,” PTI quoted its sources as saying. Currently, the FR trials are being offered to passengers traveling only with hand baggage and to those who will take flights bound for the select cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Vizag and Vijaywada.
