Airport Biometrics: A Primer (2021)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

196 Case Study: Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India Summary In 2016, as part of a new terminal development program, Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) staff conducted a series of workshops to discuss the future of the passenger journey and how this could be improved by use of a single biometric token. The BLR Innovation Lab further developed the concept of operations and explored different types of biometrics (e.g., facial, fingerprints, and iris). In January 2017, BLR rolled out its first Digi Yatra trial, which went live on a Vistara Airlines flight (Airport Technology 2019; ET Bureau 2019). The initiative was then quickly expanded to AirAsia India and Spice Jet and is now set to include all domestic airlines. International flights will be involved at a later stage (Future Travel Experience 2019b). At the heart of the initiative is the Common Digi Yatra ID Platform, an interface platform between the countrywide biometrics database owned by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the local airport IMP. To partake in the Digi Yatra seamless journey, the departing passenger can create a Digi Yatra ID any time prior to his or her trip. This is a one-time process that can be done online or in person at one of the airport’s registration kiosks using a government-approved ID number (including a unique identifier if the passenger has previously been registered in UIDAI data- base) or a manual ID card. In case a manual ID card is used, an additional physical check by an officer is required at the registration kiosk. Once completed, the Digi Yatra ID is activated and will be permanently valid. The passenger can enter his/her Digi Yatra ID number at the time of ticket booking, and it is then transmitted by the airline DCS to the airport IMP. On the day of the travel, the passenger arrives at the airport registration kiosk, scans his/her boarding pass and has his/her iris and face captured by the kiosk’s camera. The passenger’s consent is taken to use his/her biometrics for the journey. The Digi Yatra ID platform performs boarding-pass validation with the airline DCS and a real-time biometric validation to verify the passenger’s ID. At this point, a digital template of the passenger’s face biometrics is activated in the airport IMP, and a single token combining this digital template with the PNR is created. This single token, also called the “passenger dataset,” grants the passenger seamless and paper- free accessibility through the rest of the biometric-enabled processing points. In case of no match or if the passenger wishes to opt out, a manual verification of the travel document and identity is performed at each processing point. A passenger’s data storage and retention vary by each database. On the one hand, the Digi Yatra ID will exist indefinitely after activation. The passenger can update his/her profile if A P P E N D I X I

Case Study: Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India 197   necessary and can choose to opt out at any time. On the other hand, the passenger dataset stored and retained in the airport IMP will be deleted 1 hour after the corresponding flight departs. The Digi Yatra trial at BLR showed promising results as passenger processing times at biometric-enabled processing points considerably decreased compared to the manual process. The airport is aiming toward having 60% to 70% of passengers using the biometric-enabled journey. Once this goal is reached, the true magnitude of the reduction in processing times and staff count will be fully visible and measurable. At the time of writing, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Digi Yatra ID platform’s deployment has been delayed, and a manual validation process is in place. BLR is exploring the possibility of trialing another option, referred as a “self-sovereign” approach. Under this model, the passenger would control what personal data he/she wants to share and with whom. The passenger would complete the enrollment process using a government-issued validation number and would then take a selfie, unlock the e-passport chip (via the same app), and combine this information into a digital token that he/she can share with the airline and with the airport. Key Facts Table I-1 summarizes the key aspects of the seamless passenger journey at BLR. What? ● Digi Yatra: seamless, biometric-enabled, paperless journey Where? ● BLR, Bengaluru, India Passenger process steps ● Outbound domestic passenger journey (curb to gate) (to be expanded to international flights at a later stage) ● Enrollment kiosk ● Airport entry e-gate ● Check-in/bag drop ● Security entry ● Emigration (at a later stage) ● Boarding e-gates ● In the aircraft (tablets with biometric identification) (at a later stage) ● Immigration (at a later stage) Who? ● Digi Yatra is an initiative of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in partnership with the major privatized Indian airports and the International Airports Authority of India (IAAI). The common Digi Yatra ID platform, once operational, would enable the automated validation of the passenger’s identity. The platform has not been implemented yet (due to COVID-19), but BLR has biometrically enabled several of the touchpoints listed previously and linked them into its own localized ID management platform. The ID validation process will be performed manually until the Digi Yatra platform is operational or a different approach, such as the self-sovereign ID management approach, is implemented. ● The initial BLR trial was launched in partnership with Vistara Airlines. The selected vendor was Vision-Box, which provided the airport ID biometric platform technology (Orchestra). After Vistara Airlines, AirAsia India and SpiceJet were added. The program is in the rollout stage (albeit temporarily on hold due to COVID-19) and will include all domestic airlines. (IndiGo was the last remaining domestic carrier to be included.) The program will be expanded to international flights at a later stage. Table I-1. Key facts of the case study on Digi Yatra. (continued on next page)

198 Airport Biometrics: A Primer How? ● The Common Digi Yatra ID platform was conceptualized by a joint venture between the government (with majority stake), the Airports Authority of India (AAI; with minority stake), and all private airport operators. The Common Digi Yatra ID platform offers core passenger services such as enrollment, authentication, and consented profile sharing. Passengers have to enroll once using a valid government- issued ID. The local airport identity management system uses the facial biometric data provided by the Digi Yatra ID platform to identify the passenger for all the processes inside the airport. The facial biometric data are purged from the airport system 1 hour after the passenger’s flight takes off. ● Until the Digi Yatra platform becomes operational, the identity check is manually performed. Enrollment/digital identity creation and verification ● Passengers can enroll in Digi Yatra online by providing a valid government ID (preferably the Aadhaar number, which is a 12-digit unique identifier that the government issues to all its citizens after biometrically enrolling them into this countrywide program). Passengers obtain a personal Digi Yatra ID that has permanent validity. The activation (validation) process is performed once online or at an airport registration kiosk (where a photo-of-the-day is taken and the identity is validated against the government database accessible through the Aadhaar number). In all subsequent trips, this step is not needed if the passenger, at the time of booking, includes his/her personal Digi Yatra number to his/her reservation. Verification of identity how? ● If the passenger uses his/her government-issued Aadhaar number, the verification and activation are performed once by matching the photo-of- the-day with the government-held biometric data, which is accessible through the Digi Yatra ID platform. If another form of government-issued ID is used (other than the Aadhaar number), the ID has to be manually checked at the airport to complete the activation process. For? ● All domestic flights on Vistara Airlines, AirAsia India, and SpiceJet. To be expanded to IndiGo and all international flights (ET Government 2020; Business Traveller India 2020; Press Trust of India 2020). Why? ● The Ministry of Civil Aviation set several goals for Digi Yatra: Delay costly airport capital expansions by looking at innovation and digitalization to improve efficiencies and reduce costs Provide a better and easier passenger experience Enhance security standards Back up the program with a strong, verifiable government-issued identity Provide a common identity management system that would work across all domestic airports in India and that could be used by all domestic and international passengers Use Digi Yatra as a mean of communication with all enrolled passengers Table I-1. (Continued). Introduction Aviation in India has been growing at a considerable pace, and India is expected to become the world’s largest domestic civil aviation market in the next 10 to 15 years. More emphasis has been placed on investing in innovation and digitalization to keep up with this growth. To this effect, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has started Digi Yatra in partnership with the privatized Indian airports and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). This initiative aims to transform the passenger experience at all Indian airports by reinventing airport terminals and explicitly rejecting the conventional approach of building bigger airports to manage more passengers.

Case Study: Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India 199   Specifically, Digi Yatra makes use of biometrics and identity management technologies to allow a seamless, paper-free journey (Awtaney 2019). As one of Digi Yatra’s stakeholders, BLR became one of the first Indian airports to trial the concept. Passengers only need to show their face to gain access to all terminal processing checkpoints, which eliminates the requirement to repeatedly show travel and identification documents (Devaiah 2019). How Does It Work? Before the Passenger Journey The Common Digi Yatra ID platform is an interface platform between the countrywide biometrics database owned by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the local airport ID management platform (Bhavan 2018b). Specifically, the three platforms are: • UIDAI platform: Countrywide database where Indian residents’ demographic and biometric data are held; UIDAI is responsible for enrollment, updates, and authentication; any Indian resident can enroll by providing proof of identity and proof of address; as part of the enroll- ment process, at the enrollment center, a photo, fingerprints, and iris scans are taken; once the authentication is performed (within 60 to 90 days), a unique number, the Aadhaar number, is issued; the number has indefinite validity and can be used to validate identity; obtaining an Aadhaar number is not mandatory. • Digi Yatra ID platform: Countrywide airport system database where the demographic and bio- metric identity data are linked to travel bookings; the enrollment is completed online (valid indefinitely); the activation is done once at an airport registration kiosk (if the Aadhaar number is used, that constitutes a valid proof of identity; if there is no Aadhaar number, the activation process is performed by a manual validation of a government-issued ID document); the vali- dation is valid for 5 years; at the time of booking, the booking reservation number is linked to the Digi Yatra number and to the demographic and biometric data in a single ID token; this linkage is possible because of the integration of the airline’s DCS with the Digi Yatra ID platform (Government of India 2020). • Airport ID management platform: BLR uses Vision-Box’s Orchestra ID management system to validate identity at the biometric-enabled passenger processing points (entry e-gates and all other downstream processing points); only the photo capture (biometric data) and the PNR are shared between Digi Yatra and the airport platform (Burt 2019). Due to COVID-19, the Digi Yatra ID platform is not operational, and therefore automated identification validation is not possible, and the PNR is not automatically shared with the airport platform. Therefore, at the time of writing, identity validation was performed manually at the registration kiosk, and the PNR data capture was done at the airport e-gate by having the passenger scan his/her boarding pass. BLR is exploring another option that would empower the passenger to digitally share his/her biographical and biometric data when required via an app. This approach is broadly known as the self-sovereign ID management approach. The passenger would complete the enrollment process using his/her Aarhaad number and would then take a selfie, unlock the e-passport chip (via the same app), and combine this information in a digital token that he/she can share with the airline (during the booking process) and with the airport (to access the biometric-enabled processing points). BLR is in the process of exploring and potentially trialing this option.

200 Airport Biometrics: A Primer Passengers complete the online Digi Yatra enrollment process and are issued a Digi Yatra number. The enrollment has to be completed only once. At the time of booking, passengers are asked to include their personal Digi Yatra number in their booking reservation, which is then transmitted by the airline DCS to the airport ID management platform; the PNR number on the boarding pass is used as the key to extract the passenger’s Digi Yatra ID number from the airport ID Management platform at the time of validation at the airport entry e-gate (Khadakbhavi 2020). See Figure I-1 for a description of the Digi Yatra concept. The Passenger Journey The registration kiosk: The passenger scans his/her boarding pass (printed on paper or from his/her mobile app); the kiosk camera captures the passenger’s biometrics (face and iris for Aadhaar validation); the passenger’s consent is given to use his/her facial biometrics for other airport processing points; the Digi Yatra ID platform validates the boarding pass with the air- line DCS and verifies the identity of the passenger with real-time biometric validation within the Digi Yatra ID platform (or, if this is the first time, the Digi Yatra ID platform performs a one-time validation of the passenger with the Aadhaar system using facial and iris biometric data); the passenger’s facial biometric digital template is activated in the airport ID management platform with the creation of the passenger dataset, which includes the facial biometric digital template and the PNR for identification at the other biometric-enabled processing points at the airport; the passenger dataset is associated with a unique identifier; the facial biometric digital template is uploaded to the Digi Yatra ID platform. Airport entry e-gate: Having completed the registration process, the passenger can now access the airport entry e-gate; the passenger is identified by the passenger dataset, and the e-gate opens. Notes: PAX = passengers; DY = Digi Yatra; PESC = pre-embarkation security check. The immigration and in-the aircraft processing points will be incorporated in the journey at a future stage. Source: Bhavan 2019. Figure I-1. The Digit Yatra journey concept.

Case Study: Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India 201   Other biometric-enabled processing points: The passenger is identified by the passenger dataset. In the case of no match or if the passenger wishes to opt out, a manual verification of the travel document and identity is performed at each processing point. Retention and Storage Storage and retention of the passenger data varies by database: • Digi Yatra: The passenger data are retained indefinitely or until the passenger elects other- wise; the passenger can update and modify the information in the Digi Yatra profile if needed. • The passenger dataset (photo and PNR) is stored and retained in the airport ID management platform only until 1 hour after the flight departs. After that, all data has to be deleted. System Architecture Flow Diagram The flow diagram of this case study can be found in the Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India, case study in Chapter 2. Stakeholders and Responsibilities Stakeholders This initiative is a partnership among the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the privatized Indian airports, and the Indian Airports Authority. BLR was one of the first airports to trial the concept (in 2017). The launch airline was Vistara Airlines, but the program was quickly expanded to include other domestic airlines, such as AirAsia India and SpiceJet. Other airlines, including international carriers, will join the program. Responsibilities and Governance The Digi Yatra program’s governance can be summarized as follows (Khadakbhavi 2019): • The Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation is in charge of the overall initiative. • A steering committee (Digital Cell) composed of the CEOs (including BLR executives) of major Indian public–private partnership airports, AAI, the Bureau of Civil Aviation and Security, and the Central Industrial Security Force. • A technical working committee (TWC) that is made up of subject-matter experts from the participating airports, including staff from BLR and the BLR Innovation Lab. • The TWC conducted a series of workshops with all stakeholders, including airlines, online travel agents, regulators, airports, and the UIDAI, to explain the concept of Digi Yatra and gather consensus among all stakeholders. Timeline and Planning In 2016, as part of a new terminal development program, BLR staff conducted a series of workshops to discuss the future of the passenger journey and how this could be improved by use of a single biometric token. The BLR Innovation Lab further developed the concept and explored different types of biometrics (e.g., facial, fingerprints, and iris). Procurement and Vendor Selection Once BLR developed the concept for operation, a selection process involving several leading biometric service providers was conducted, and the preferred vendor, Vision-Box, was selected.

202 Airport Biometrics: A Primer The trial went live on a Vistara Airlines flight in January 2017 (Mayhew 2018; Vision-Box 2018a; Vision-Box 2019). Case Study Review Benefits The benefits for the various stakeholders are highlighted in Table I-2 (Khan 2020). Responses from Passengers The feedback from passengers was positive. The majority found the process easy to understand, and they appreciated the convenience of not having to show the same documents multiple times. Passengers also noticed that queues were shorter and that processing times faster. Non–tech- savvy passengers could also successfully use the system because of its simplicity. System Performance and Specifications Review One of the main challenges had to do with the ambient lighting that affected the cameras and resulted in poor-quality images at some of the processing points. These images could not be used for matching purposes. This problem was addressed with manual intervention. As image capture technology and image enhancement algorithms continue to improve, this challenge should be overcome. Fall-Back Options If a passenger is not enrolled in the Digi Yatra program or if the authentication process for some reason does not work (no match), the passenger is processed manually at each processing Stakeholder Benefits Passengers Enhanced experience with a more seamless journey; no need to show boarding pass or ID at multiple processing points Faster processing and reduced queue times Same program across Indian airports Airport Increased passenger processing throughputs postponing the need of costly capital expansion programs Enhanced passenger experience and simplified processes accessible to all , including less tech-savvy passengers Better resource planning by knowing passenger loads and locations Reduced staffing costs as fewer passengers needing to be manually processed Government Enhanced security: minimize ID fraud, reduce the risk of allowing non-travelers into the terminal Scalability of the program to all airports across India Leveraging of the countrywide UIDAI Aadhaar database to make identification more secured and streamlined Reduced staffing costs as fewer passengers have to be manually processed Airlines Better resource planning Improved on-time departures through knowing where passengers are within the terminal Redeployment of staff where most needed Table I-2. Digi Yatra and the seamless passenger journey: stakeholder benefits.

Case Study: Digi Yatra and the Seamless Passenger Journey at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India 203   point (valid government-issued ID and boarding pass are checked at each checkpoint). The passenger is still processed through the airport entry e-gates, albeit manually. Some of the terminal entry points do not have entry e-gates, and passengers with disabilities or others requiring assistance can use staffed entry points. Concerns To respond to privacy concerns, privacy considerations were addressed early on and incor- porated into the concept development process. The techniques implemented to achieve data privacy by design included authentication protocols, verification of credentials, encryption, data minimization, privacy enablers in databases, data masking, secure data storage, and transparency- enhancing techniques. The system is fully GDPR compliant, and all passenger data and travel records are purged from the airport ID management platform 1 hour after the flight departs. In addition, Digi Yatra policy prevents airports from creating a profile of users and using that for marketing purposes without passenger’s consent. Once enrolled, Digi Yatra users can opt out of the system, and, they can delete their profile at any time. Lessons Learned Understanding how passengers interact with the cameras and the equipment is fundamental to achieving positive outcomes. For example, passengers traveling in groups could crowd around the device, which would prevent the system from properly working. At BLR, the processing of passengers, even if traveling in groups, is done one at a time and, therefore, having more than one person standing in front of the camera creates matching issues. This was resolved by signage and by deploying adequate staff to coach the passengers along the journey. As passengers become more familiar with the technology, some of these challenges will be overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to implement touchless technology and minimize the manual handling of IDs and travel documents. Touchless technology had not been the focus of the effort because some of the touchpoints still require some interaction (e.g., registration kiosk, bag-tag printer). Going forward, touchless solutions at all processing points will be further explored and implemented. Findings and Trends Findings The decrease in passenger processing times is considerable, especially at the airport entry e-gates where there was a decrease of approximately 50% compared to the manual process. The boarding e-gates are also registering faster processing times. The airport goal is to have 60% to 70% of passengers using the biometric-enabled journey. Once this goal is reached, the true magnitude of the reduction in processing times and staff count will be fully visible and measurable. Future Situation and Broader Implementation It was anticipated that by the end of 2020, all passengers traveling on domestic flights would be able to use all the biometric-enabled touchpoints. The program will be extended to international flights, airline by airline, starting in 2021, assuming the inherent complications associated with immigration processes can be resolved (Lakshman 2020; OT Staff 2019).

204 Airport Biometrics: A Primer The Digi Yatra common ID platform implementation was delayed due to the global COVID pandemic. As Indian airports reprioritized their investments during these uncertain times, it was unclear as to when the program would resume. Before the crisis hit, the design phase was completed and the RFP to select the vendor had been prepared. Therefore, the reactivation of the program, once the decision is made, should be quite straightforward. In the meantime, BLR has been exploring another identity verification solution that would not require the Digi Yatra platform and is based on the concept of self-management of digital personal data to empower each passenger with regard to what personal data to share and with whom. The passenger would enroll by using an identity app on his/her phone to take a selfie to verify biometric and biographic information by reading the chip on the e-passport or by using the Aadhaar number and the user-specific password generated by the UIDAI. At the time of booking, this app interfaces with the airline app to combine the biometric and biographic data with the PNR and generate a travel credential that can be shared with other parties, such as the airport and the government (if, in the future, border processing is included in the seamless journey). At the airport entry e-gate, the passenger, by showing his/her face and scanning his/her boarding pass, gains access if there is a positive match in the local airport IMP (i.e., if the PNR is valid and the passenger is who they say they are). The remaining processes are the same as before. This concept is still in an exploratory phase, and more work has to be done to make it a reality. Trends Identified BLR staff identified the following trends during the planning and implementation of the seamless journey: • The vast majority of passengers have embraced this technology and appreciate the benefits that it provides; this trend is in line with the latest IATA Global Passenger Survey (IATA 2019). • The success of this initiative is due to the adoption of a collaborative approach since all key stakeholders were invited to participate from the early conceptual stages. Self-sovereign ID management is probably the best way forward since it empowers indi- viduals to decide with whom and how to share their personal data. Note: Source used throughout this appendix: Future Travel Experience 2019b.