DigiYatra 2026: Set Up Face Boarding in Under 5 Minutes

DigiYatra face-recognition boarding is live at 24+ Indian airports. Here's the exact Aadhaar setup flow, how to link your PNR, which airports support it, and

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DigiYatra 2026: Set Up Face Boarding in Under 5 Minutes

By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about the consumer-protection side of travel — DGCA passenger rights, OTA refund policies, hidden fees, dynamic-currency-conversion traps and the seven kinds of booking mistakes that quietly drain Indian travel budgets.) · Published · 10 min read

DigiYatra has quietly become one of Indian aviation's best features — if you set it up correctly. The Aadhaar-link process takes under 5 minutes and the airport experience genuinely changes.

TL;DR — what DigiYatra is and who should use it

DigiYatra lets you pass through check-in, security, and boarding at participating Indian airports using just your face — no boarding pass printout, no physical ID check at every gate. Set-up takes about 5 minutes using your Aadhaar for verification, and you link each flight's PNR 24 hours before departure. As of mid-2026, the system is operational at over 24 airports covering most major Indian metros and several Tier-2 hubs. A new June 2026 rule also affects certain international transit passengers — covered below.

Relevant reads: Name errors on tickets | Book flights on EMI

What DigiYatra actually does at the airport

Before DigiYatra, every touchpoint in an airport — entry gate, check-in counter, security, boarding gate — involved pulling out your boarding pass and ID. With DigiYatra, your face is the boarding pass. Here's what the journey looks like in practice:

  1. Airport entry: Walk up to the DigiYatra-enabled entry gate. The camera captures your face, cross-references it with your linked PNR, and the barrier opens. No ID, no paper boarding pass required.
  2. Security: At the DigiYatra security lane, the same face-match happens. You still go through the X-ray machine — this isn't a security bypass, it's an ID-verification bypass.
  3. Boarding: Walk to the gate. Face recognised, boarding confirmed. The system updates the airline's manifest automatically.

The experience at well-implemented airports (Delhi T3, Bengaluru, Hyderabad) is noticeably faster during peak hours. At airports still working out operational kinks, the face-capture cameras can occasionally fail on glasses or unusual lighting — the fallback is always your physical boarding pass and ID, so carry them.

Step-by-step Aadhaar setup (the 5-minute flow)

Download the DigiYatra app from the App Store or Google Play — look for the official app published by 'DigiYatra Foundation.' The registration process:

  1. Enter your mobile number and verify via OTP. This is the number your DigiYatra profile is linked to.
  2. Enter your Aadhaar number. The app uses Aadhaar's eKYC to verify your identity. You'll receive another OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. If your Aadhaar is linked to a different mobile, update it at an Aadhaar centre first — this step requires Aadhaar-linked mobile verification, not just your Aadhaar number.
  3. Take a selfie within the app. This is your biometric reference — the cameras at airport gates will match against this image. Take it in good lighting, without sunglasses, and facing the camera squarely.
  4. Wait for verification. The eKYC verification usually completes in seconds to a couple of minutes. Once approved, your profile shows as 'Verified.'

That's genuinely it for initial setup. You do this once, and the profile persists across all DigiYatra-enabled airports.

Important privacy note: DigiYatra has stated that facial data is not stored centrally — it's verified and discarded after each journey. The app stores a reference image locally on your device and in an encrypted cloud profile for re-use. If this concerns you, the official DigiYatra privacy policy (digiyatra.com) has the technical detail worth reading before you sign up.

Linking your PNR before each flight

Unlike most travel apps where you set up once and forget, DigiYatra requires you to link each flight separately. This is intentional — it creates a per-flight permission rather than a blanket 'let me into any flight I'm on.'

Here's the flow:

  1. Open the DigiYatra app 24–48 hours before departure.
  2. Tap 'Add Flight' or 'Upcoming Journeys.'
  3. Enter your PNR (the 6-character booking reference from your ticket confirmation) and your last name. The app pulls your flight details from the airline's system.
  4. Confirm the flight details and enable DigiYatra for that journey.

The linking window typically opens around 48 hours before departure. Some airlines and airports support linking further in advance — check the app for your specific flight.

OTA booking note: If you booked through MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, or another OTA, the PNR is the airline's booking reference (not the OTA's order ID). It's on your booking confirmation email, usually labelled 'PNR' or 'Booking Reference.' For codeshare flights, use the operating carrier's PNR.

Which airports support DigiYatra in 2026?

As of mid-2026, DigiYatra is operational at over 24 airports. The major ones:

Check the DigiYatra app's airport list for the current status — new airports are being onboarded regularly and the list above may not reflect the very latest additions. The DGCA and Airport Authority of India have both committed to expanding coverage.

Note that not every terminal at every airport supports DigiYatra. Delhi T2 (domestic) was added more recently than T3. Always confirm your specific terminal in the app before counting on the face-boarding experience.

The June 2026 international transit rule explained

This one caught a few travellers off guard. From June 2026, a new DGCA/MCA directive requires passengers transiting through Indian airports on international connecting flights to use DigiYatra-enabled identity verification at designated transit security checkpoints where the technology is installed.

In plain terms: if you're arriving from, say, Dubai on Air India and connecting to a domestic flight at Delhi T3 — you're in the 'transit international to domestic' corridor. If that corridor has DigiYatra cameras installed (which at Delhi T3 it does), the process is: your face is scanned, matched to your transit manifest, and you proceed. You're not required to have the DigiYatra app active on your phone for this — the airline's manifest is used for matching. But having DigiYatra set up with your PNR linked makes the process faster and smoother.

This rule is specifically about security corridor transit — it's not changing anything about what documents you need for international arrivals or customs. Your passport, your visa (where applicable), the customs declaration: all of that is unchanged. The face-scan is the ID-check layer in the security corridor, not a replacement for immigration.

If you're planning an international trip that routes through India, searching via FlightGPT lets you see connecting itineraries and their transit times — useful for knowing whether you have enough time for the DigiYatra-enabled transit flow.

What to do when DigiYatra doesn't work at the gate

It happens. A camera misreads your face (new haircut, different glasses, harsh airport lighting). The app shows a mismatch error. The gate agent's screen says 'not matched.' Here's the calm, fast response:

  1. Don't panic. Walk to the gate agent immediately and say 'DigiYatra mismatch.'
  2. Show your physical boarding pass (on your phone or printed) and your government ID (Aadhaar, passport, voter card).
  3. The agent manually clears your boarding — this is a standard override process every gate agent is trained for.

You will not be denied boarding for a DigiYatra failure. The system is an efficiency layer, not a mandatory gate. Always have your boarding pass (the airline's app works fine) and one photo ID accessible — not buried at the bottom of your bag.

Frequently asked questions

Is DigiYatra mandatory for domestic flights in India?

No. DigiYatra is opt-in. You can fly on any Indian domestic route with your standard boarding pass and physical ID — no one will turn you away for not using DigiYatra. It's an optional faster lane, not a requirement.

Does DigiYatra work if I wear glasses or have changed my appearance significantly since registration?

The face-recognition system handles glasses reasonably well in most airport lighting conditions. Significant appearance changes — dramatic beard change, different hair colour, changed prescription glasses — can occasionally cause a mismatch. If you're concerned, update your selfie in the app before travelling. The camera failure fallback is always your physical boarding pass and ID.

What happens to my facial data after I use DigiYatra?

According to DigiYatra Foundation's stated policy, your biometric data is deleted from airport systems after each journey is completed. The reference image used for matching is not stored permanently at the airport — it's used for the session and discarded. Your Aadhaar-verified profile remains on the app. Review the current privacy policy at digiyatra.com as policies can be updated.

Can I use DigiYatra if my flight is booked through an OTA like MakeMyTrip?

Yes. You need the airline's PNR (booking reference), which is in your OTA booking confirmation email. Enter that PNR in the DigiYatra app during the 'Add Flight' step. The OTA's own order ID won't work — look specifically for the 6-character code labelled 'PNR' or 'Booking Reference' in the email.

Does DigiYatra work for Air India Express and Akasa Air, or only IndiGo and Air India?

DigiYatra works across all scheduled Indian domestic carriers at participating airports — IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet. The system is airline-agnostic once the PNR is linked. Check the app for current airline compatibility at your specific airport, as onboarding varies.

Can I link multiple flights in the DigiYatra app for a connection or multi-city trip?

Yes. For a multi-leg itinerary, link each PNR separately in the app before each respective flight's check-in window opens. If your segments have different PNRs (common with itineraries booked on multiple airlines or through different GDS sources), add each one individually. The app allows multiple active upcoming flights simultaneously.