Politics · India Bureau
IATA welcomes India's decision to scrap boarding pass stamping for international flights
The International Air Transport Association has endorsed India's move to eliminate mandatory physical boarding pass stamping for international passengers, bringing Indian airports in line with digital processing standards already used in domestic operations.
LSN India ·
The Bureau of Immigration's decision to discontinue the stamping requirement marks a significant modernisation of passenger facilitation procedures at Indian airports, according to the global airlines grouping IATA.
Representing over 370 airlines that collectively account for approximately 85 percent of worldwide air traffic, IATA noted that the mandatory stamping of physical boarding passes had long impeded the digitalisation of international passenger processes in India. The practice had created a disconnect with domestic operations, which already leverage India's Digi Yatra initiative for streamlined passenger handling.
"The experience for international departures is now set to change, following the Bureau of Immigration decision to discontinue this practice," said Sheldon Hee, IATA Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific, in a statement on Tuesday.
The move is expected to enhance operational efficiency at Indian airports while bringing international departure procedures into alignment with modern digital standards. Indian carriers, which operate among the airlines represented by IATA, will benefit from the simplified processes that the elimination of physical stamping requirements will enable.