Within two years, airline passengers may well have an option of breezing through the airport check-ins, security and boarding without any stamping, frisking or even a boarding pass once the mobile phone-based Aadhaar interface is introduced through ‘Digiyatra’.
Once registered through its website, the passenger can walk towards the boarding area with prior security clearance obtained for a specific period of time like two or three years, said Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey on Wednesday.
“We want to bring back the smile to airline passengers that has been missing since stringent security measures came into vogue,” he said at the inauguration of the Interim International Departures Terminal (IITD) built near the Haj Terminal at the GMR Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad.
Opens on Oct. 23
The one lakh sq.ft facility, built in seven months, is expected to become operational from October 23. It will take care of passengers expected to touch 24 million a year during the second expansion phase of the airport currently under way and expected to be completed within three years.
Mr. Choubey said the airline industry growth has been “incredible” over the last few years due to Government’s policies and entrepreneurship capability of groups like GMR.
Handling capacity
IITD can handle check-ins, security, immigration and customs processes for passengers after which they will move into the main passenger terminal building. It is equipped with unique facilities like country’s first-ever remote hand baggage screening and new automatic tray retrieval system hand baggage screening to cut down waiting time, said Airport CEO S.G.K. Kishore.
A premium check in facility for first class and business class travellers with dedicated immigration, security counters and an upgraded duty free store are being provided. RGIA has seen more than 20% growth in domestic and international travels in the last three years, forcing it to handle 20 million passengers a year when the first phase was built for 12 million only, he said.
Second phase will help to handle upto 40 million passengers a year and efforts are on to take care of 52 flights an hour as against 36 now. Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi said the onus is on the Government to provide metro connectivity after providing PVNR Expressway and ORR linkage.
GMR group chairman-airports GBS Raju, Customers Commissioner A.K. Jain and IB special director Vijay Kumar also spoke.
