At Bengaluru Airport, Your Face Is Now Your Boarding Pass!

A couple of weeks back, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad introduced a facial recognition system under the ‘Digi Yatra’ initiative where a camera verified passengers’ faces and let them pass through security checks without showing any physical IDs. The trial run was conducted from 1-3 July where the voluntary facility was made available to people travelling to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Vizag and Vijayawada.

Now, Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport has tied up with Vision-Box and Vistara airlines to roll out biometric boarding facility for passengers.

The #BLRairport along with Vision-Box inaugurated the One-ID paperless biometric platform, becoming the 1st Indian Airport to do so. Under phase 1, passengers travelling on Air Vistara, from BLR to BOM, will be able to move through the Airport without using travel documents. pic.twitter.com/6K5yfJnkQr

— BLR Airport (@BLRAirport) July 23, 2019

According to Financial Express, the ‘Early Go Live’ process is entirely paperless and involves scanning a flier’s face at the entry to the terminal, passenger security screening, and the boarding gate. Take a look.

Passengers boarding with face recognition at #BengaluruAirport. Good move but we need to be cautious of privacy violations. pic.twitter.com/QN2kY0imUT

— Nitin Meshram EQUAL FREE SPEECH (@nitinmeshram_) July 23, 2019

Starting July 22, Vistara passengers travelling from Bengaluru to Mumbai need not carry any travel documents (IDs and boarding passes). Their biometric data will be sufficient for verification and entry. By October, this technology will be made available to all Vistara fliers. Hari Marar, MD & CEO at Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) was quoted saying,

“BIAL is extremely excited to roll out this Digi Yatra-based biometric technology that has the potential to make the passenger experience at the BLR Airport seamless, secure and enjoyable.  As the gateway to a new India, the BLR Airport would like to be a frontrunner amongst next-generation airport operation.”

What do you think about your face being your boarding pass? Sounds something right out of a sci-fi movie, right?

Cover Image Source – left, right