Passengers traveling via Kolkata airport will now be able to check in for their flights and board aircraft equipped with facial recognition technology, as DigiYatra was rolled out here on Friday, according to an official statement.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the fourth in the country after airports in Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi that have facilities that offer a seamless entry and boarding process for air passengers.

“DigiYatra” was rolled out to these three airports in the first phase in December last year.

“Its main objective is to improve the passenger experience by eliminating the need for ticket and identity verification at multiple touch points and to improve passenger flow through existing infrastructure using a digital framework. “Kolkata Airport said in a statement.

Trials of the technology started at Kolkata airport on February 21 and till Thursday, 9,206 passengers used the facility.

Passengers traveling via Air India, IndiGo, GoFirst, Vistara and SpiceJet will be able to use DigiYatra at Kolkata airport, according to the release.

They will be able to use the facilities at departure gates 2B and 3A, security areas 1, 2 and 3 and boarding gates 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.

“It will lead to rapid movement of passengers, paperless travel, more security and improved airport infrastructure,” Kolkata Airport Manager C Pattabhi said as he inaugurated the facility.

Passengers will now be able to spend more time shopping at the airport, enjoying food and drink, in addition to other services, he added.

To avail the service, a passenger must register their details on the DigiYatra app using Aadhaar-based validation and self-image capture. In the next step, the boarding pass must be scanned and the credentials are shared with the airport.

At the airport’s electronic gate, a checked-in passenger must first scan the barcoded boarding pass and the facial recognition system installed at the electronic gate will validate the passenger’s identity and travel document.

Once this process is completed, the passenger can enter the airport through the electronic gate.

Data shared by passengers for DigiYatra will be stored in an encrypted format in a decentralized manner.