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LONDON - HEATHROW Airport has introduced a new security system for some of its passengers on Friday, requiring them to undergo iris scans and be fingerprinted before boarding their flights.
The biometric data will be taken with the help of eye scanners that photograph the passenger's iris, at Heathrow's Terminal 1.
The data is required for domestic passengers at the terminal who want to visit the international lounge before their flights, or passengers who arrive on an international flight and transfer to a domestic one, said a spokesman for Heathrow Airport owner BAA.
In addition to the photo ID and boarding pass, which all passengers must produce at their boarding gate, these customers will also be identified with the iris scan and fingerprint, the spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The biometric data are destroyed within 24 hours, she said.
The spokesman said the test programme is designed to improve security at the airport and to test technology needed to collect biometric information.
She said that British Airways may use a similar security system when it opens its large, new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in March.
Last year, Gatwick, another large London-area airport, began experimenting with an optional iris scanning procedure at its terminals which is designed to speed up the immigration and passport procedure for its passengers, said a BAA spokesman for Gatwick.
AP
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