New biometric system launched in Birmingham

A sophisticated biometric system to help frequent travellers get through immigration quickly has been launched at Birmingham International Airport (BIA).

The government's new Iris Recognition Immigration System (Iris) allows passengers to go through a simple iris scan instead of queuing to see immigration officers at passport control.
Travellers must be signed up to the programme to undergo the scan.

Once at the airport, they must go to an automated barrier and look straight into a camera, which will scan their eyes and match the information with a database. The passenger will be able to go straight through the barrier once he or she is recognised by the system.

"Now the enrolment room is officially open, we are sure more people will take advantage of the system and benefit from the time saved," commented John Morris, head of corporate affairs at BIA.

"This system is just one of the continuing developments being made to the airport to reduce the time it takes to pass through."

A recent survey by technology firm Unisys revealed that Britons are becoming increasingly in favour of the widespread use of biometric technology to safeguard their security.

Mark Cohn of Unisys said that the use of biometrics is one way in which airports can keep a tight rein on immigration without impacting "trusted travellers".

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