LONDON: International travellers should get used to having their fingerprints taken or their irises scanned because traditional airport security tests are outdated and open to abuse, a leading US official said on Thursday.

“As a general principle, certainly in the area of international travel, biometrics is the way forward in virtually every respect,” said Michael Chertoff, US Homeland Security Secretary.

“When we screen based on names, we’re screening on the most primitive and least technological basis of identification — it’s the most susceptible to misspelling, or people changing their identity, or fraud.

“Biometrics is the way ahead.”

Chertoff was speaking to reporters after meeting British officials during a four-day visit to Europe to discuss transatlantic security cooperation.

On Monday he visited the Netherlands, which will pilot a scheme later this year to allow passengers flying between New York’s JFK airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to pass through border controls using a biometric card.

If they can produce the card, travellers will not be subjected to further questioning or screening.

The scheme is the first of its kind to be launched between the United States and a European country and, if it works, could be adopted elsewhere.

The United States hopes the use of biometric testing will help prevent potential terrorists entering the country. —Reuters