Bengaluru and Hyderabad international airports will have biometric based digital processing of passengers by February 2019 under the Digi Yatra technology initiative, on a pilot basis, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu announced in Delhi on Thursday.Bangalore and Hyderabad will be ready with pilot implementation by the end of February 2019. The Airports Authority of India plans to roll out the programme initially at Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune and Vijayawada airports by April 2019, he said at a press conference, after releasing the policy on biometric based digital processing of air passengers.The Civil Aviation Ministry is in the process of developing standards for digital processing of passengers at airports to ensure uniform implementation and passenger experience across Indian airports through a connected ecosystem. A technical working committee having members from airport operators, airlines and industry has been formed for development of standards, he said.DigiYatra, according to the minister, will provide a pan-India powerful platform for future, adding that airports will have the possibility of providing innovative services and consent based targeted services in future. “Any service provider involved in facilitating travel of passenger from door to door will be able to use this platform in future through innovative solutions” he said.Digi Yatra is about Facial Recognition based passenger processing which is a common standard being adopted the world over. To provide a seamless experience right from the entry to the airport up to boarding the aircraft, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said, DigiYatra will have a centralised registration system for passengers.“Under the Digi Yatra, passenger can get a Digi Yatra ID by sharing minimum details like Name, e-mail ID, Mobile number and details of one approved Identity proof where Aadhar ID is not mandatory. This DigiYatra ID will be shared by passengers while booking ticket. Airlines will share the passenger data and DigiYatraID with the departure airport”, Sinha said.Passenger allowed based on facial recognition system at check points like;· Entry point check / Entry in to Security Check / Aircraft Boarding· Also facilitates self Bag Drop and Check-in, using facial recognition to identify passengers and data recall.· Digi Yatra will facilitate paperless travel and avoid identity check at multiple points.