Unique ID proposed to be made mandatory for flight booking

"Clearly, the best way of doing it is by using Aadhaar and other ways are by using a passport or PAN card", said Sinha.

These suggestions will be opened for public comments for another 30 days and then translated into a time-bound action plan.

You will no longer be able to book a flight ticket without submitting your ID proof details such as Aadhaar, passport or PAN in the next three-four months, Minister of State Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said on Thursday.

The Indian government is planning to make mandatory for air passengers to have a unique identity to make a flight booking. India's domestic air passenger traffic has nearly doubled in the past six years led by strong economic growth and emergence of low-fare airlines leading to congestion at many metro airports. The Civil Aviation Ministry has likewise set up a computerized explorer working gathering to give recommendations on executing the plan.

However, passengers who wish to collect their boarding passes and skip the digital system will still have the option to do so but won't enjoy the benefit of hassle-free travel. "We are trying to see what else we can have as unique digital unique ID so that more people are covered".

"Most Indians now have Aadhaar and having the biometric details in the airport will allow the passenger a seamless zip-through experience", he said He also said that it has been made a decision to form a technical committee that will produce a white paper in a month on the data architecture and the regulations required to be put in place. Sinha said that the new scheme will also help reduce the number of security checks, as people with the right identity can zip through airports.

The ease of travel offered by opting for the digital system will serve as a "pull factor" for passengers as opposed to a "push factor", the minister hoped. Thereafter, the government will finalise the rules in 30 to 60 days. This initiative will also help the airlines to identify passengers on a no-fly list that the government has proposed.

The government said that the identification feature is being put in place to improve security at airports and during air travel.

The technical committee will also suggest a data-sharing protocol among travel portals, the airlines, airports, security agencies as well as various concessionaires such as parking and transportation providers.