Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to become frisk free

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad is taking security clearance a notch higher, with a face recognition system for domestic passengers to be tried out next month.

The new system will gradually do away with frisking and patting-down exercises by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) staff, thereby speeding up the pre-boarding process. This means, flyers can go through security check points by just looking into a camera and identifying themselves via biometrics.

The trials will be launched in April, officials said. “Once the trial is completed, RGIA will roll out the facility on a regular basis after taking permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” official sources said.

RGIA, which is the first airport in the country to introduce face recognition facility, successfully conducted trials for its staff in 2018. It was later extended to ground handlers, concessionaires and other airport officials.

Buoyed by the response, the airport is all set to initiate trials for flyers shortly, according to officials. Currently, the trials include a simple one-time enrollment process, which includes electronically submitting the details



of passenger along with a government-issued photo ID proof. The person’s face will be captured during the registration process, which will not take more than five minutes.

According to sources, once the registration is done, CISF personnel will verify credentials of the passenger concerned by checking the ID proof and if found credible, give the go ahead. Once this is done, the person receives a QR code/face code on his/her registered e-mail ID.

The QR code has to be scanned at the specially designed e-gate at the entrance of the departure gate and the passenger’s details will be reflected on the monitor at the e-gate. Here, the flyer has to look into the camera mounted on the e-gate and in a split second, the system will ascertain his/her identity after which the gate will open.

For a registered flyer’s next travel, he/she will be required to scan the boarding pass (electronic or printed) at the designated e-gate. The system will automatically verify the boarding pass information with the airline departure control system and map the passenger’s face to the airline ticket upon successful verification.