Airport iris scanning scaled back
15.11.11
Six years after it was introduced, Britain’s groundbreaking iris-scanning system is being quietly scaled back, the Financial Times reports. New registrations and renewals for the scheme have been halted at several airports – partly, at least, because of staff shortages – and the Government has said that its future is under review.
The scanning system, known as Iris, was first introduced in 2005 and aimed at low-risk, frequent travellers. The scheme, which identified passengers through the unique pattern of their iris, is free to use but requires a 15-minute registration, which must be renewed every two years at an airport enrolment office.
The Financial Times has learnt that the Home Office has closed enrolment facilities at all Heathrow terminals except 1 and 5 and also at Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. The newspaper says that the retreat from iris-scanning will make it harder for business travellers to avoid queues and raises fresh questions over whether Government budget cuts have contributed to the bottlenecks.
Airport operator BAA told the newspaper that, while Iris had been a ‘success in its own right’, it would probably be replaced by the e-gates system, under which travellers from European Union states can pass the border by scanning the biometric chip in their passports. However, those from outside the EU are excluded.
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