Air transport meeting to plan security

Biometric passports and increased security are top of the agenda at a meeting of the global air transport industry in Cairo this week.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and representatives from its 188 member states meet every 10 years to review progress and set the direction for the coming decade.

The theme for the current session is 'Managing Security Challenges to Facilitate Air Transport Operations'. Topics include proposed strategies for worldwide implementation of machine-readable passports and international support for a global approach to use of biometric technologies.

Interoperability is crucial for biometrics to offer a practical solution, said a spokesman for ICAO.

'From the aviation perspective what is important is facilitating the transfer of passengers and increasing security,' he said.

'Global mechanisms need to be put in to place so there is one single, interoperable biometric that can be used wherever you travel. This week's meeting will review what has been done and make recommendations on the future direction, establishing the direction for the next 10 years or so,' he said.

In May last year ICAO published a global standard for the integration of facial biometrics in passports.