Airport scanners for biometric passports experience technical issues

Airport scanners that read biometric passports are designed to make the immigration process at airports quicker and more convenient. Biometric passports contain a chip that can be read by airport scanners. A camera then checks the passport holder's face to make sure it matches the image on their passport. The airport scanners should flag up if a person is on a watch list.

Recently, it has been discovered that some of the airport scanners have malfunctioned. Apparently they have failed to alert security of travellers on watch lists, and a man even managed to get through the airport scanners using his sister's passport.

The airport scanners are being tested at 10 terminals in the UK, so they are still in the trial phase. The airport scanners at Stansted airport have only recently started to read biometric passports carried by Dutch and Lithuanian travellers. The revelation about the airport scanners was showcased on ITV's Tonight programme.

The Immigration Minister, Damian Green, believes it's unfair to suggest that the airport scanners are failing. The scanners are designed to make it quick and easy for people with biometric passports to pass through immigration. He said: “It's the combination of technology and human experience that keeps our borders secure. I don't think it's fair to generalise that the whole system is failing and that you should junk all the technology or anything like that.”

The airport scanners are still on trial and a spokesman for the Home Office admitted that the government was aware of the issues and that they have now been resolved. He said: “The e-Gates are part of an ongoing trial so that we can identify and resolve technical issues.”

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