Biometric scannersLA airports to install biometric scanners

Employees at three Los Angeles airports will be turning in their access badges and instead rely on biometrics to gain entry to secure areas.

Los Angeles International, LA/Ontario International, and Van Nuys airports recently announcedthat beginning in 2012 they would move away from existing magnetic swipe card reader system to one that relies on iris scanners and other biometric identification technology.

According to Dominic Nessi, the deputy executive director and CIO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which oversees operations at the three airports, the security readers are routinely replaced as magnetic card readers wear out, but this time they will be replaced with new biometric technology.

“What we are doing in this current project is putting the wiring in place so we can add biometric readers, irrespective of the technology,” Nessi explained. “By December of next year, we’ll either reaffirm our decision to utilize iris scan technology or we’ll review other technologies that may have entered the market by that time.”

LAWA is still determining which technologies it will install, but it is considering iris scanning technology in particular as it is the least invasive option and is not affected by greasy or dirty hands like fingerprint scanners.

The three Los Angeles airports currently rely on a two-factor authentication system where employees must present swipe cards as well as a personal identification number, but LAWA feels the need to add an additional layer to keep pace with evolving security needs.

“Our goal is to secure physical access throughout the airport as much as possible, and we feel a major part of that is to add a third form of authentication, particularly on those doors that go out to the airfield and other sensitive areas,” Nessi said.