Govt outlines plans for biometrics at airports

Chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling has announced his first Budget, which included plans to introduce biometric security at airports.

The chancellor said that new measures are set to be introduced using biometric technology at Heathrow Airport and other hubs in order to cut down the amount of time it takes to pass through security checks.

Another aviation-related element of the Budget was an extra ten per cent on plane duty in the new 'tax-per-flight' regime.

Biometric technology will be one of a number of innovations taking place at Heathrow Airport in the near future, many of which will be a result of the opening of Terminal 5.

The state-of-the-art facility, set to open on March 27th, will use a baggage system that has been designed specifically for the terminal and offer 96 check-in kiosks intended to eliminate queuing.

Terminal 5 will also house the largest airline lounge complex in the world, which has the capacity to cater for 2,500 passengers.

British Airways will be the sole user of the terminal, freeing up capacity in Heathrow's other zones, which it is hoped will reduce congestion and improve operations.