Soon, domestic fliers from Mumbai airport’s T2 won’t need to get boarding passes stamped

The initiative to scrap stamping of boarding passes aims to reduce time involved in completing the many pre-flight boarding checks.

Soon passengers flying on domestic flights operating from terminal 2 (T2) of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will not have to get their boarding passes stamped. Airport sources said the service may begin as early as next week, after a final approval for the same is received from Delhi. The initiative aims to reduce time involved in completing the many pre-flight boarding checks.

Mumbai airport will be the first in the country to introduce the Digi Yatra initiative proposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) once it stops the practice of stamping boarding passes at its terminal 2. (HT File)

This makes Mumbai airport the first in the country to introduce the Digi Yatra initiative proposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Passengers travelling within the country from T2 will be able to authenticate their boarding pass at security checkpoint by scanning the boarding pass QR code on their mobile phones at the E-gates reader. This authentication of boarding pass will eliminate the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)'s stamping of boarding passes.

Mumbai airport officials said stamping of boarding pass is done in order to make sure that a person has cleared the security check and even to check records in case of any security lapse on board. An official said, “However, the high definition cameras at Mumbai airport help the authorities concerned to do the same without stamping the boarding passes (as they can check CCTV footage concerned when necessary).”

A CISF officer from Delhi explained, “In case a passenger is in possession of an e-boarding pass, after dropping the baggage, he/she can directly proceed to the security check area. After completing the checks, the passenger will have to move to the E- gates reader where the bar code featured in the e-boarding pass will be scanned and the passenger will be allowed access to the boarding area.”

A pilot project to stop stamping boarding passes was carried out in airports like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad last year.

A senior airport official said all the necessary permissions from the BCAS have been received. “However, a final approval from the CISF is expected to be received by next week, after which domestic passengers flying from international terminal will be able to use the latest technology.”

A spokesperson of Mumbai International Airports Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) said, “With the Government’s plan of Digital India, this initiative by CSMIA is a step towards adopting new technology and digitising the travel experience of passengers, making it hassle-free.”

“This pilot feature introduced by CSMIA aims to reduce time involved in completing the many pre-flight boarding checks. It is a forward-looking service that is technology-driven and offers seamless digital experience to passengers. The self-service facility at the airport has drastically reduced the waiting time and queues at various touch points,” added the spokesperson.

Recently, 42 out of total 60 airports that are under CISF have also made hand baggage tag-free for the sake of passenger convenience.