Face & Finger Scans For Air Passengers A Step Nearer*

Added: Dec 7th, 2006 7:35 AM

By Tim Hall

Passengers at Heathrow had their fingerprints taken for the first time
yesterday, in tests which could lead to routine biometric scanning at
Britain's airports.

A high-tech scanner was unveiled by the Government and eventually all
passengers could be required to have iris and face scans.

Initially, passengers are being invited to have their fingerprints
scanned in return for skipping boarding queues. If the scheme, known as
miSense, proves succesful, it could be rolled out across the UK.

Yesterday Liam Byrne, the immigration minister, said the scanning system
would improve security as well as allow passengers to move through
check-in more quickly.

"This is a good example of how ID cards will be useful when helping
people move through security," he said. "I think it's going to be
popular. People want secure borders. If we can find a way of
strengthening security and making it easier for legitimate travellers to
move around then I think the public are going to want that."

He said he did not see the system, which is being piloted over the next
12 months, as a "stand-alone scheme".

The Government wanted to see it used as part of efforts to control
immigration and to check the identity of people coming to live in this
country.

Mr Byrne added that, while the Government had never said ID cards would
be compulsory, he could envisage a time when such technology was
commonplace.

The miSense system will be trialled at Heathrow's Terminal 3 initially
for passengers on Emirates and Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong and
Dubai. Passengers will be able to register their fingerprints and their
passport at the beginning of the check-in process and use that as their
"key" to get through passport checks and boarding.

In stage two of the trial, all passengers flying from Terminal 3 will be
able to enrol in the system by registering 13 different pieces of
biometric data — their 10 fingerprints, a scan of each eye and a scan of
their face — which will then be linked to their passport.

They will be issued with a membership card which they can use to fast
track through immigration using only their fingerprints to prove their
identity.

It is hoped that the system, if found successful, would be adopted in
airports across the world.