Facial recognition system to be tested at Paris airport

The Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has been beefed up with extra security measures since the Brussels terror attack. This includes the deployment of profilers for detecting any 'abnormal behaviour'.

Orly airport near Paris Reuters/Benoit Tessier

Among other measures, a facial recognition system will be tested next month.

Instead of passengers having to place their finger on a screen to be identified, the system will immediately recognise their face.

"If a person poses any problem, an alert will automatically be sent to the police who will come and question them," Aeroports De Paris chief executive Augustin de Romanet said.

He said Paris airport authorities were working with police to double the number of automatic security checks of passengers in the next three years.

The number of security cameras has been increased in areas of the airport "where we need to be able to keep a closer eye on the comings and goings", he said.

Suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the check-in area of Brussels airport on 22 March and at a metro station, killing a total of 32 people.

Like the Paris attacks in November which killed 130 people, they were claimed by the Islamic State armed group.

- with AFP