A new biometric security system will be introduced at Heathrow Terminal 5 when it opens in March next year.
The scheme will heighten security and mean that domestic and international passengers travelling with British Airways – the only airline that will fly from Terminal 5 – can mix in the common departure lounge.
Passengers will have their fingerprints checked and faces scanned when they pass through the regular security check, and then again in the departure lounge before they board their plane.
“The idea is that when a domestic passenger then goes to the gate, their identity can be reconciled with that which they put forward when they checked in,” a spokeswoman for Heathrow operator BAA said.
She added: “It’s to enable domestic and international passengers to mix in the common departure lounge.”
The move to introduce the tighter measures comes after a successful trial of the biometric technology at Heathrow Terminal 3 (see Heathrow biometric trial a success). Feedback from passengers revealed that most people were impressed with the system and felt that “if it improved their security it was a positive move”.
A British Airways spokesman explained that the biometric system “basically adds another level of security and ensures that people can’t swap tickets or go on flights they weren’t supposed to go on, or whatever else they may be up to”.
He also suggested that the system was likely to be introduced in Heathrow Terminal 1, meaning that it will affect passengers flying with airlines other than BA.
Terminal 5 is the biggest aviation project in Europe and will host BA’s entire Heathrow operation, except for flights to Australia, Spain and Italy.
