Everything about your Air India (AI) boarding pass: how to get it, re-download a lost one, mobile vs printed, and airport timings.
Verified June 2026No pass in your inbox? Check the spam folder, then re-verify through Manage Booking on airindia.com, or contact Air India support. Any Air India airport counter can reissue it. Self-check-in kiosks and self-bag-drop are available across the domestic network.
A mobile boarding pass is explicitly valid for domestic Air India flights — present it at the airport checkpoints. For international, see the note below.
A mobile (digital) boarding pass is accepted at Indian airports by the airlines that issue one — there is no official rule requiring a printout, and Delhi Airport markets fully paperless domestic travel. That said, carry a valid government photo ID at all times (it is checked at terminal entry alongside your boarding pass or ticket), and for international departures most airlines still verify your travel documents at the counter before issuing the final pass.
Air India does not publish any airport check-in fee — counter check-in is free.
Counters generally open 3 hours and close 1 hour before departure (75 minutes for international departures from Delhi). Arrive about 3 hours before an international flight.
On international flights, online check-in gives you a CONFIRMATION SLIP, not a boarding pass — you must visit the counter for document verification, after which the actual boarding pass is issued. You cannot board on the slip alone. Passport/APIS details are required to check in online, and codeshare flights cannot be checked in online.
Skip the scramble — see the full Air India web check-in guide, or let HappyFares Web Check-in Assist handle it and send your boarding pass to WhatsApp.
Get your boarding pass on WhatsApp →On international Air India flights, online check-in produces a confirmation slip rather than a boarding pass. You must go to the airport counter for travel-document verification, and the boarding pass is issued only after that. You cannot board the flight on the confirmation slip — so still allow time at the counter even though you checked in online.
Yes, on domestic Air India flights a mobile boarding pass (or printable PDF) is valid — present it at the airport checkpoints. On international flights the final boarding pass is issued at the counter after document verification, regardless of online check-in.
Air India emails the digital pass within about 15 minutes of domestic check-in — first check your spam folder. If it still has not arrived, re-verify through Manage Booking on airindia.com or contact support, and any Air India counter can reissue it.
A mobile (digital) boarding pass is accepted at Indian airports by the airlines that issue one — there is no official rule requiring a printout, and Delhi Airport markets fully paperless domestic travel. That said, carry a valid government photo ID at all times (it is checked at terminal entry alongside your boarding pass or ticket), and for international departures most airlines still verify your travel documents at the counter before issuing the final pass.
DigiYatra works with any airline at 38 Indian airports, including for Air India flights — it reads your face instead of checking documents at three checkpoints. DigiYatra is the free, optional facial-recognition system at 38 Indian airports (including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai). You enrol once with Aadhaar, but you must upload your boarding pass for every flight and share it with the departure airport (the e-gate scans the boarding-pass QR first, then your face). It is domestic-only — international departures are still on the roadmap — and passengers travelling with infants cannot use it. Even DigiYatra users should carry a physical government photo ID.