Digi Yatra's international passenger trials will go live at seven Indian airports from November 1, allowing eligible Indian nationals holding e-passports to use the platform on overseas flights operated by Air India and IndiGo, the Digi Yatra Foundation said.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

The programme covers Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar airports. The trial period runs from November to December 2026, with the beta programme currently underway, and passenger feedback will inform plans for a wider rollout in 2027, BusinessLine reported. Travel Trade Journal, reporting the same foundation announcement on October 27, confirmed the same seven airports, dates and airlines.

7Airports in the international trial
Nov 1, 2026Trials go live
26.5 million+Digi Yatra users so far
110 million+Journeys facilitated so far

How the e-passport credential works

Eligible passengers will be able to use Digi Yatra at enabled touchpoints, including terminal entry, the Security Hold Area and boarding gates, subject to infrastructure availability. The trials will cover all international destinations served by Air India and select destinations operated by IndiGo.

To participate, passengers need to create an e-passport-based digital credential through the Digi Yatra application — scanning the passport's Machine Readable Zone, reading its embedded chip using a compatible smartphone's Near Field Communication capability, capturing a selfie and verifying the details. Once created, the credential is stored in the passenger's Digi Yatra wallet on their device for use at enabled airport touchpoints.

Passengers must continue to carry their travel documents and complete mandatory airline document checks, immigration and other travel formalities, the foundation said.

"With the start of international passenger trials, we are taking an important step towards extending this experience to eligible Indian nationals travelling internationally," Suresh Khadakbhavi, Chief Executive Officer of the Digi Yatra Foundation, said. He said interoperability with global frameworks such as IATA's One ID and ICAO's Public Key Directory would be an important part of the initiative, while retaining passenger consent, privacy and security.

Separately, Digi Yatra has introduced a redesigned mobile application with changes to navigation, boarding pass display and the credential wallet, including airline-mapped colours for boarding passes and a revised consent screen explaining what information is shared, with whom and for what purpose. At present, Digi Yatra has more than 26.5 million users and has facilitated over 110 million journeys, BusinessLine reported.