The year 2024 saw Digi Yatra, a Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) based ecosystem utilising face biometric technology for contactless and seamless passenger processing at airports, changing the travel game. The platform achieved some significant milestones since its inception in December 2022. Starting with just three airports in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi, it established an impressive network of 24 airports across the country.

Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, said:  “2024 was a defining year for Digi Yatra as it became a nationwide digital ecosystem reshaping how Indians experience air travel. Beyond technological advancement, this year has been about building trust. We poured our resources into communication and campaigns on Social Media to address passengers’ security concerns and explain our Decentralized Ecosystem based on Self Sovereign Identity, setting new standards for responsible data management. In the coming year, we look forward to continuing our growth trajectory by adding four more airports in the early months of 2025. Through the year, we will work towards solidifying our presence both domestically and internationally with a vision to create a more integrated and secure Global travel ecosystem.”

Offering a seamless ‘Walk-in-the-Park’ experience at various airport checkpoints through face authentication technology, Digi Yatra has registered more than 9 million active users so far, with a daily average of 30,000 app downloads. The platform has facilitated over 42 million seamless journeys, which is a testament to the growing trust and acceptance among passengers.

One of the key highlights of 2024 was Digi Yatra’s collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The ‘IATA One-ID X Digi Yatra India’ initiative was a significant step towards enabling  seamless end-to-end international travel experiences. This association will assist Digi Yatra in  setting the course for an international foray.

Digi Yatra has made significant progress in 2024 by focusing on improving customer experience and trust. The recent updates on the Digi Yatra app emphasise on improving contactless biometric solutions and ensuring smoother registration experiences. In October, Digi Yatra further launched the d-KYC (Don’t Know Your Customer) campaign, which highlights its commitment to user privacy and choice. The campaign was about how Digi Yatra caters to customers’ needs without storing or accessing their personal data. Digi Yatra has released a wrap video contextualizing the d-KYC campaign, which is also available in the latest updated version of the Digi Yatra app.

By March 2025, Digi Yatra plans to support all 22 official languages, making it more accessible to travellers in India. The decision to go multilingual aligns with Digi Yatra’s goal to ensure that language is no barrier for any user and they can navigate the Digi Yatra App with ease and confidence.

Digi Yatra is also targeting an ambitious international pilot project by  June 2025. It aims to conduct trials with foreign passengers holding electronic passports (e-passports). This initiative will require establishing bilateral agreements and demonstrating the robust security of the platform. A social media campaign to emphasise that passenger information is not stored in any central repository is also in the pipeline.