Digi Yatra Staff Strike Over Massive Pay Delays

The convenience of modern air travel was abruptly halted at Surat International Airport on Friday as approximately 40 employees operating the central ‘Digi Yatra’ facility went on strike, protesting repeated and prolonged delays in receiving their monthly salaries.

The mass protest stemmed from a critical lapse in vendor management by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Consequently, the airport was forced to revert to manual entry checks. This caused significant inconvenience for up to 1,000 daily departing passengers.

Digi Yatra Staff Strike: Breakdown in Digital Service

The Digi Yatra service uses facial recognition technology to enable seamless, paperless verification from terminal entry to boarding gates.

Following the staff walkout, this service was rendered completely non-operational.

For the roughly one-third of Surat’s daily passenger volume (estimated at 800–1,000 fliers) who rely on the fast-track system, the closure resulted in the formation of long queues and procedural bottlenecks at the entry gates.

Frequent flyers expressed disappointment, noting that the disruption negated the very purpose of the advanced biometric system.

One passenger remarked, “Digi Yatra had made airport entry seamless and hassle-free. It’s sad to see the staff—who guide us so warmly—on strike now because the AAI hasn’t paid their salaries.”

The Root Cause: Vendor Non-Compliance

The crisis traces back directly to an administrative oversight within the AAI’s contract management.

Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the salaries were held up because the AAI awarded the Digi Yatra service contract to a third-party vendor whose Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration number had previously been cancelled.

Because the vendor lacked a valid GST registration, the AAI was unable to process and clear payments to the contractor.

This financial blockage in turn prevented the vendor from disbursing wages to the ground staff who manage the critical biometric checkpoints.

Compounding the issue, this specific tender had been cancelled once before.

This raises serious questions as to why AAI officials failed to perform due diligence and verify the vendor’s legal compliance before re-awarding the contract.

Authority Response and Future Action

The salary delay was prolonged, reportedly stretching through the recent festive period of Diwali. This intensified the staff’s frustration, culminating in the collective protest.

The airport administration was compelled to temporarily suspend the entire Digi Yatra service.

Despite this, officials have acknowledged the employees’ plight and are considering stringent action against the responsible contractor.

Airport authorities have reportedly issued a warning to the agency.

Furthermore, they are considering proposals to potentially blacklist the contractor from future engagements.

Discussions are underway regarding the possibility of utilizing the contractor’s deposited security amount.

This action would ensure the affected employees receive their rightful outstanding salary payments and bring an end to the service disruption.

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