CIAL in Kochi becomes India’s first airport to process international passengers

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The facility uses electronic passports and facial recognition to verify passengers, reducing the need for physical documents at designated checkpoints

By PTI

Updated - October 27, 2026 at 08:00 PM. | Kochi

Cochin International Airport Ltd | Photo Credit: th-online Administrator

CIAL (Cochin International Airport Ltd) has become the first airport in India to process international passengers through DigiYatra, with the first passenger travelling to the Maldives on an IndiGo flight on Tuesday.

The facility, currently being tested for select airlines, uses electronic passports and facial recognition to verify passengers, reducing the need for physical documents at designated checkpoints, CIAL said in a release.

DigiYatra was introduced for domestic passengers at CIAL on August 15, 2023.

Since its introduction, the facility has gained wider acceptance, with one in every three domestic passengers using DigiYatra for their journeys through the airport, the release said.

The system is powered by in-house e-boarding software developed by CIAL's Technology and Innovation team.

Having developed the technology architecture for the system, CIAL plans to extend the service to other airports through consultancy, enabling them to benefit from its technological expertise and experience, it said.

CIAL recently launched Aviation Consultancy and Expert Services (ACES), which was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister and CIAL Chairman V D Satheesan. Durgapur Airport is the first client for the consultancy service, under which CIAL will provide a passenger verification system developed in-house, the release said.

CIAL Managing Director S Suhas said the successful extension of DigiYatra to international departures reflected the airport's commitment to developing innovative, technology-driven solutions for air travel.

"Through Aviation Consultancy and Expert Services (ACES), we aim to extend such in-house capabilities to other airports and contribute to the wider adoption of technology-driven solutions in the aviation sector," Suhas said.

Published on October 27, 2026

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