Digi Yatra has launched trials for international passengers at seven airports across India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Sunday, marking a significant expansion of the facial-recognition-based travel platform beyond domestic routes. The pilot, running from November to December 2026, will allow eligible Indian nationals holding e-passports to pass through designated touchpoints on select international flights operated by Air India and IndiGo.

Airports and Touchpoints Covered

The trials are being conducted at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, and Amritsar airports. Participating passengers will be able to use the facility at terminal entry points, Security Hold Areas (SHA), and boarding gates, wherever the required infrastructure is already in place.

The Ministry clarified that the facility is intended to complement — not replace — existing travel procedures. “Passengers must continue to carry their travel documents and complete all mandatory airline document checks, immigration procedures and other applicable travel formalities,” the ministry’s statement noted.

How Passengers Can Access the Trial

To participate, eligible Indian nationals must create an e-passport-based Verifiable Credential (VC) through the Digi Yatra mobile application. The process requires scanning the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of an e-passport, reading the embedded chip via the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature on a compatible smartphone, capturing a selfie, and verifying personal details. The credential is then stored in the passenger’s Digi Yatra wallet on the device and activated at trial-enabled touchpoints.

Notably, the e-passport requirement limits participation to those who have already transitioned from standard biometric passports — a relatively small but growing cohort, as India’s e-passport rollout is still in its early stages nationally.

Scale of Digi Yatra’s Domestic Rollout So Far

The platform’s domestic footprint has grown considerably since its launch. It now counts more than 26.5 million registered users and has facilitated more than 110 million journeys across 39 domestic airports. A further 25 domestic airports are planned to come under the platform by 2027, according to the ministry.

This comes amid a broader government push under the Digital India initiative to modernise airport operations and reduce friction in air travel. The international trials represent the first time Digi Yatra’s seamless-travel architecture is being tested outside the domestic ecosystem.

What Happens After the Trial

Feedback gathered during the November–December 2026 trial window will directly inform the planning of a wider international rollout in 2027. The government has framed the expansion as part of its strategy to leverage technology for improved airport operations and “ease of flying” — a phrase that mirrors ongoing policy language around reducing regulatory and process burdens on travellers.

With international air traffic at Indian airports continuing to recover and grow post-pandemic, a scaled Digi Yatra international service could meaningfully reduce queue times at high-traffic terminals such as Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The outcome of these trials will be closely watched by both the aviation industry and technology vendors involved in the platform.