Kolkata passenger movement at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport stabilised on Monday after a temporary disruption in the Digi Yatra facility a day earlier slowed entry into the domestic terminal. Airport officials confirmed that usage levels rebounded to roughly one-third of departing travellers, restoring confidence in a system that has become central to contactless airport processing.
The facial recognition-based Digi Yatra platform, designed to enable paperless and queue-free entry, had briefly malfunctioned on Sunday morning. As a result, travellers were directed to manual verification counters, leading to extended waiting times during peak departure hours. While the technical issue was resolved within hours, backend data mismatches required some passengers to re-upload travel credentials before accessing automated gates. By Monday evening, airport authorities indicated that daily Digi Yatra footfall had nearly returned to typical levels, reflecting steady adoption in Kolkata. On an average day, several thousand domestic passengers use the biometric channel, accounting for approximately 30 percent of outbound travellers. The swift recovery signals both system resilience and growing passenger dependence on digital infrastructure in urban transport hubs. For airport operators, the episode underscores how biometric identity platforms are no longer optional enhancements but core infrastructure. Contactless processing reduces congestion, improves terminal energy efficiency by shortening dwell times, and supports smoother passenger dispersal critical in high-density metros.
Urban planners note that seamless airport mobility aligns with broader smart-city ambitions, where digital public infrastructure is expected to optimise resource use while enhancing user experience. Industry observers say that with air traffic steadily rising across India’s major metros, automated passenger verification is vital to prevent terminal bottlenecks. Manual checks not only lengthen queues but also increase staffing requirements and operational strain. Digi Yatra, by contrast, integrates facial recognition with airline boarding data to enable frictionless access, minimising physical document checks. Officials familiar with the matter said a technical review had been undertaken and corrective steps would be implemented at a central level to prevent recurrence. The platform operates across multiple airports nationwide, forming part of a coordinated digital aviation strategy aimed at improving throughput without proportionate physical expansion.
Regular users at Kolkata Airport described Monday’s operations as smooth, noting that biometric access has become embedded in routine travel. For many, reverting to manual gates felt like a reminder of pre-digital congestion. As Indian cities expand airport capacity to match economic growth, the reliability of systems such as Digi Yatra will increasingly shape passenger satisfaction, terminal design, and urban mobility planning. Ensuring redundancy, cybersecurity safeguards and system stability will be essential as airports evolve into high-efficiency, technology-led gateways serving climate-conscious, rapidly urbanising regions.
