IndiGo & IATA Trial First Contactless International Travel at Bengaluru Airport

BENGALURU – In a significant development for India’s aviation technology landscape, IndiGo, the Digi Yatra Foundation, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), and IATA successfully conducted technical trials of a contactless international travel system at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru .

What was demonstrated:

Complete travel flow from ticketing and booking management to a biometric-enabled airport journey

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) based ecosystem allowing seamless sharing of digital credentials between applications

Privacy-first framework where passenger data remains under the traveler’s control

Key quotes from industry leaders:

“These successful technical trials clearly demonstrate the feasibility and scalability of leveraging digital identity and biometric technologies to deliver seamless, contactless airport experience.”
— Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital and Information Officer, IndiGo

“What we have demonstrated goes beyond a successful PoC, it is a glimpse into the future of international travel.”
— Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, Digi Yatra Foundation

“India is emerging as a global leader in digital and contactless travel… This proof-of-concept shows how India’s digital identity ecosystem can be extended beyond domestic travel to enable seamless international journeys.”
— Kim Macaulay, IATA’s Chief Information and Data Officer

B2B takeaway: For tour operators and travel management companies, this signals a future where passenger processing times shrink dramatically. Early adopters should prepare their systems for integration with digital identity platforms. Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport is currently the only Indian airport participating in this IATA-led global initiative .