Digi Yatra international passenger trials will begin on November 1 at seven Indian airports, allowing eligible Indian e-passport holders travelling on Air India and IndiGo to use facial-recognition-enabled processing at selected points during their journeys. The beta programme will run through December and will cover Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar airports.
The trial is being conducted for Indian nationals holding e-passports, which contain an embedded electronic chip. Passengers will be able to use Digi Yatra at terminal entry points, security hold areas and boarding gates where the required infrastructure is available. The programme covers all international destinations served by Air India and select destinations served by IndiGo, according to the Digi Yatra Foundation.
The passenger phase follows technical trials that tested whether passport-linked digital identity credentials could operate across international airport journeys. Earlier testing with IndiGo included routes such as Bengaluru-Doha. The latest phase is intended to gather passenger feedback before a wider rollout planned for 2027.
To enrol, travellers must scan their e-passport through the Digi Yatra app, read the passport chip using the near-field communication feature on a compatible smartphone and take a selfie. After verification, the digital credential is stored in the Digi Yatra wallet on the passenger’s phone.
The international trial will not replace immigration procedures, airline document checks or other mandatory travel formalities. Passengers must continue to carry their passports and complete all required checks before boarding. Digi Yatra will operate only at airport locations where the necessary systems have been installed and enabled.
“With the start of international passenger trials, we are taking an important step towards extending this experience to eligible Indian nationals travelling internationally,” Suresh Khadakbhavi, chief executive officer of the Digi Yatra Foundation, said in a statement cited by The Times of India.
The foundation said it was also exploring compatibility with global aviation identity frameworks. Such compatibility would be relevant to the movement of digital credentials across borders, although the current trial remains limited to eligible Indian passengers and participating airport and airline processes.
The organisation has redesigned the Digi Yatra app, including its consent screen, to make it clearer what information passengers share, with whom and for what purpose. The change comes as the platform expands from domestic airport access towards a more complex international environment involving passports, immigration controls, airlines and airport operators.
Digi Yatra currently has more than 2.65 crore users and has enabled over 11 crore journeys, according to figures reported by the foundation. The platform operates at 39 domestic airports and serves 11 domestic airlines. A further 25 domestic airports are planned to be covered by 2027.
The international passenger trials will continue through December, after which feedback from participating travellers is expected to inform the proposed wider rollout.
