Biometric solutions revolutionizing air travel and accentuating traveling experience

The future of air transport is set to be driven by big techno-trends and practices that will underpin the digital transformation in the industry globally. With the aviation industry being on a high growth trajectory, the role of technology has never been as more critical in transforming air travel as it has become today and will provide real value to help the industry navigate the future. According to IATA, within the next 10 years, India can potentially overtake Germany, Japan, Spain and UK becoming the 3rd largest in the world.

Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Eastern & Southern Africa speaks about the potential biometrics hold in transforming passenger experience and managing airports -

How is biometrics revolutionizing air travel in India and accentuating the traveling experience for flyers and also the staff at the airport?

A key challenge for airports globally, is how to manage the rapid passenger growth we are experiencing. Nowhere is this more apparent than India, which is expected to be the world’s third biggest passenger market by 2030.

Beyond expanding the physical footprint of airports, the air transport industry is increasingly exploring technology and finding new solutions to processing more passengers quickly without negatively impacting the passenger’s travel experience. For this reason, we see technology spend in the industry growing. The Air Transport IT Insights 2018 survey shows that overall, investment in technology is rising, with airport spend rising almost 6% year on year to US$ 10 billion.

Technology which helps airports better manage the growth in passenger numbers is an area SITA is strong focused on. We are investing in technology to automate, and even, eliminate tedious processes in the airport, making air travel easier at every step. Biometrics is one such technology which can potentially transform the travel experience for a passenger.

To give you an example. In the US, SITA’s biometric technology is being used in place of the traditional boarding pass, ID check and a government border check. This is the airline and government check in one step.

We trialled this technology at Orlando airport with British Airways and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We gave British Airways’ passengers the option of biometric boarding at the gate, on flights from Orlando to London Gatwick and there was almost 100% take up. The airline was able to board a flight with 240 passengers in around 10 minutes. Based on this success, Orlando airport have now chosen SITA’s solution to be deployed at all of their 30 international gates and will be used by several airlines.

Our research shows that more airports and airlines are introducing biometric solutions and reaping the benefits. Airline passengers are using automated technology for passport checks at double the rate recorded in 2017 and are more satisfied when doing so too. According to the SITA 2019 Passenger IT Insights, 44% of passengers sailed through automated passport control in 2018, a jump from 21% in 2017. At passport control, a traditional pain point of the journey, passengers were 3.85% more satisfied when they used self-scanning gates to verify their ID, compared to those using agent-assisted controls. These technology users had a satisfaction rate of 8.36 out of 10.

The use of biometric ID management initiatives today is still in its infancy in India. However, there are few factors that will help its adoption. For one, Indian passengers have shown greater willingness to use biometrics to speed up their journey through the airport. Research published by SITA in 2017 revealed that 70% of passengers in India said they would definitely use biometrics if given the option, removing the need to show a passport or boarding card at key points in the airport. Second, there is the Aadhaar system - one of the biggest biometric databases anywhere in the world – which could be leveraged,

What more technological developments in it can we expect in the coming times?

In the US, SITA’s biometric technology is being used in place of the traditional boarding pass, ID check and a government border check (SITA Smart Path). This is the airline and government check in one step. As mentioned, we used this at Orlando airport with British Airways and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and recently Miami International Airport became the latest US airport to introduce SITA’s Smart Path. Passengers flying to Munich on Lufthansa flight 461 can now board with the quick click of a camera instead of a boarding pass and passport.

The next step for us is the ability to use a single biometric identity across borders and airlines. We are also looking at making the biometric experience available on mobile.

Can Aadhaar be linked to Biometric as a next step to it?

With our Smart Path biometric solution for ID management now rolled out globally, SITA is well poised to deliver a seamless, paperless travel experience for passengers across India. In fact, we are already speaking to several airlines and airports to introduce Smart Path in India.

Ministry of Civil aviation has released a policy on biometric based digital processing of passengers at airports called “Digi Yatra”. As part of the DigiYatra central platform passenger will have an option to use Aadhar based verification to create DigiYatra ID. We believe that leveraging DigiYatra platform together with our proven industry standard common-use platform, SITA will be able to deliver a seamless biometric experience for all airlines and airports – both domestic and international – in India. This would allow passengers to use their biometric identity no matter where they travel.

A key benefit of our Smart Path solution is that its technology integrates with our existing common-use infrastructure – check-in kiosks and boarding gates. This makes it easy and cost effective to implement. This technology can be seamlessly integrated with government systems and databases to authenticate passengers during airport check-ins and border checks, allowing the passengers to use their biometric identity no matter where they travel.

We feel this presents a great opportunity and can truly lead the way to drive new efficiencies in passenger processing and establish India as the world’s most efficient travel system.

How is SITA aligning itself to the DigiYatra initiative of GoI in transforming passenger experience and managing airports?

SITA’s vision for the future strongly supports India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation’s decision to work with the air transport industry to create a “digitally unified flying experience”.

We are aligned to the ministry’s forward-looking initiatives like ‘Digiyatra’ and are committed to help India lead the way in introducing 100% biometric air travel. Biometric identity could also be extended to automate every step of the journey from check-in and bag-drop all the way to boarding. There is little doubt that this technology is the key to resolving India’s constraints on airport infrastructure.

What is the present state of the Indian aviation industry when compared to the rest of the world, in terms of giving an enhanced flying experience to passengers?

A key challenge for the industry in India to manage the rapid growth over the next 20 years. The Indian aviation industry recognizes the benefits that the smart use of technology to process passengers will be instrumental in maximizing airports’ existing capacity while improving the overall experience of passengers. By automating the steps in the passenger journey through the airport – from check-in to boarding – will allow airports and airlines to process more passengers in a shorter time.

One of the standout findings of SITA’s 2019 Passenger IT Insights report was that at every point in the journey, where passengers use technology, the rate of satisfaction is higher. Over the years, booking, check-in and bag drop have increasingly become automated and passengers like it. Interestingly, this year the report shows how introducing automated passport controls, in collaboration with government and border agencies, also increases passenger satisfaction.

Automated gates used at boarding are another success for the industry and its passengers. Not only do they speed up the processing of passengers but they support more efficient operations and faster turnarounds. Again, SITA’s Insights show that satisfaction is 2.2% higher when passengers scan their own documents to board.

We are already bringing some of the benefits of automated self-service to India. For example, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) offers its passengers greater convenience when checking in their baggage with the introduction of SITA’s Scan&Fly bag drop units at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport, a service popular with passengers.

Maneesh Jaikrishna
SITA Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Eastern & Southern Africa