The other options that could be used for identification are the passport or an identity card but the feasibility of using an identity card is being reviewed.
Aadhaar’s database with the biometric data would have become a base of this digital paperless flying experience.
NEW DELHI: The government’s flagship scheme to ease air travel experience by going completely paperless at airports has hit the Aadhaar hurdle after UIDAI - the Unique Identification Authority of India refused to share biometric data with aviation authorities.
“UIDAI has refused to share biometric data with us due to security reasons. Now, we are looking at other identity options to implement the scheme,” said a senior aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified.
The other options that could be used for identification are the passport or an identity card but the feasibility of using an identity card is being reviewed. Officials in the know admit that it is difficult to achieve similar benefits as an Aadhaar card would have brought.
The scheme, termed DigiYatra aims at making flying simpler for passengers, who decide to link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins, without requiring any paper-based or human interventions.
This would mean that a passenger, with Aadhaar linked, can swiftly walk-through security scanners with biometric security solutions.
The aim was to create a data base, which would have categorised passengers on the basis of being a frequent flier or not. The aim was to make it convenient for a frequent flier, who would have got access, may be, even without being frisked.
While the government had already announced that passengers flying through Vijayawada and Varanasi airports will soon be able to avoid queuing provided they share their Aadhaar details, UIDAI’s rejection may stall such a move.
The UIDAI has also refused to share Aadhaar biometric data for crime investigations, as proposed by the chief of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB had sought a limited access to Aadhaar data to be given to police for the purpose of catching first time offenders and for identification of unidentified bodies.
Recently, there has been more than one instance of Aadhaar data being leaked, which came to light thus raising questions on the security of the biometrics of Indian citizens. While the UIDAI has maintained that their database is safe and cannot be breached, such instances of data breach have made them wary about sharing details with an external agency.