Bengaluru airport plans to become India's first fully Aadhaar-enabled by 2018

Moneycontrol News 

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru will soon become the first airport in India to completely implement an Aadhaar-enabled entry and biometric boarding.

The Bangalore International Airport Association (BIAL) has floated a request for proposal (RFP) which aims to complete the Aadhaar-enabled entry system by December 31, 2018. The proposal is part of the airport's efforts to be completely digitised and transform itself into a 'smart airport'.

If Aadhaar-enabled entry and biometric e-boarding are put to effect, the time dedicated to passenger verification will be almost halved, thus leading to lesser screening time and more number of passengers entering through one gate.

How Aadhaar will transform India in the future

It will augment the security, quicken the clearance process and reduce delays at airport check-ins. Additionally, passengers need not present their boarding pass and ID at various checkpoints in Airports.

The project will gradually move towards having only biometric identification at each of the touch-points in the airport. The RFP specifies that the deadline to implement the new system is 325 days.

The project will be taken up by March 30, 2018, to put the new system in place under Phase I. Phase-2 which will begin after 90 days, which requires all domestic airlines to install the systems. The international flights will be put under the new system by October 4.