T5 biometric checks 'will strengthen security'

Recently announced fingerprinting and facial scanning checks at the new Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 will bring "another level of security", according to one expert.

The biometric security measures will mean that passengers using the terminal will see their fingerprints and facial scans double-checked before they get on the plan, meaning that travellers will be unable to exchange tickets with other people or board other services.

A spokesperson for British Airways, which will have its base at the new terminal when it is completed, said that the checks are an "extension" of current methods used elsewhere.

He stated: "A similar process and similar tools are in use at the moment. At Gatwick, for instance, your picture is taken as you go through security and is checked when you board the aircraft."

Terminal 5 is scheduled to be completed in March 2008 and is expected to serve about 30 million passengers every year.

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