India is linking facial recognition systems at six major airports to a national intelligence data network to enhance real-time monitoring and support law enforcement efforts. The facial recognition cameras at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata will be integrated with the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) through a centralized data fusion center in Delhi, according to Praveer Ranjan, director-general of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The move aims to create an integrated command and control facility for critical infrastructure, which already includes surveillance data from approximately 150,000 cameras installed at key installations across the country. The CISF currently oversees security at over 70 civil airports, aerospace facilities, nuclear and power plants, and around a dozen major seaports. Ranjan indicated that the CISF plans to expand its coverage to additional ports nationwide.
The Indian government has directed state authorities to utilize Natgrid’s capabilities to access a wide range of data sources. These include driving licenses, vehicle registrations, Aadhaar identification, airline and railway passenger information, bank records, FASTag electronic toll collections, and passport and travel details of both Indian nationals and foreigners. The data pool further extends to suspicious transaction reports from the Financial Intelligence Unit and analyses of social media content.
In a related development, India recently mandated the use of its DigiYatra facial recognition biometric system for passengers making international transfers at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad airports. This initiative replaces the previous multilayered verification process involving boarding pass scans, passport checks, and other identity verifications with a streamlined, contactless system.
DigiYatra facilitates quicker airport access by allowing passengers to pass through checkpoints with minimal physical document examination. The system requires passengers to upload an Aadhaar-verified selfie along with their boarding pass to the DigiYatra app at least 48 hours before departure. The government reports that DigiYatra has already supported over 100 million passenger journeys across 38 airports in India and has been downloaded more than 25 million times. It has significantly reduced average entry processing time from 15 seconds to just five seconds per passenger, helping to decrease queues and improve passenger flow.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu projected that passenger traffic through Indian airports is expected to exceed 500 million by 2030 and reach one billion by 2040. In addition to the existing 38 airports connected to DigiYatra, another 27 are slated to join the system by next year. The app currently supports 11 languages, with plans to expand to 22 languages later this year.