Passengers will be able to create a unique ID for a paperless and hassle-free experience at airports on the next upgrade of AirSewa web portal and mobile application, civil aviation ministry said on Monday.

Speaking at the launch of AirSewa 2.0, union minister for civil aviation Suresh Prabhu said Digi ID registration will feature in AirSewa 3.0 and upgrades of the application will also include airport maps and BHIM payment integration among others.

"We will launch AirSewa 3.0 in the next few months," Prabhu added.

Minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha further elaborated that passengers will be able to create a Digi ID on the application using a valid identification proof and the government is also mulling to enable use of phone camera to capture the face of the passenger.

Launched two years ago, the AirSewa program has witnessed around 30,000 app downloads and around 75,000 web portal hits so far.

As for passenger grievances received on the portal/app, Chennai airport has achieved a 100 percent rate in passenger grievance addressal while the overall rate of redressal is 92 percent, the ministry said.

“Air passengers face issues like flight delays, problem in refunds, long queues, inadequate facilities at airports and complaints of lost baggage. The ministry of civil aviation launched AirSewa web portal and mobile app in November 2016 to address this need," Sinha said.

Major improvements in the newly launched AirSewa 2.0, which is based on artificial intelligence, will include features such as secure sign-up and log-in with social media, chatbot for travellers support, improved grievance management including addressing those registered on social media platforms, real-time flight status and details of flight schedule.

Operating through an interactive web portal and a mobile app for both android and iOS platforms, AirSewa 2.0 will help to capture air travellers' feedback for policy interventions, the ministry added.

"A need was felt for development of an upgraded version of AirSewa to provide a superior user experience with enhanced functionalities... focus is now on improving the quality of services so that passengers who are travelling have a safe and comfortable experience," Prabhu added.

An urgent need of upgradation of AirSewa and systemic intervention in improving customer services was needed as today 5 crore passengers are travelling every year and will grow exponentially in the near future, Sinha added.

First Published:Nov 19, 2018 8:33 PM IST