06 December 2006

Biometric trial at Heathrow

Heathrow airport has deployed a biometric system, officially launched on 06 December by UK Minister for Immigration, Liam Byrne and Heathrow Airport CEO, Tony Douglas.

Over the next few months, passengers travelling on selected flights between Heathrow and Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific or between Heathrow and Dubai with Emirates will be able to enrol and participate in the system trials.

During check-in, willing passengers will scan their passport and right index fingerprint at a self-service kiosk. This biometric information along with the boarding pass will then be used to verify them at security control and when boarding the aircraft.

The system has been supplied through a project called miSense. Cryptography vendor nCipher has participated with its Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), which have been deployed to generate and protect the cryptographic keys that are used to identify and validate each traveller. Also, the company’s SecureDB database encryption product is being used to protect stored passenger information and passport details in order to ensure compliance with data protection legislation.

"The recent long delays at London airports as a result of tightened security checks have highlighted the need for a more sophisticated solution that strengthens security while improving the passenger experience,” said Alex van Someren, chief executive officer at nCipher, in a statement. “Protecting the integrity of stored passenger information underpins the security of miSense”.

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