Interpol to Allow Airlines to Check for Stolen Passports
AirAsia will soon become the world's first airline to check the passports of all its passengers against Interpol's global database of 42 million stolen or lost travel documents.
AirAsia, which is also based in Malaysia, said it will use Interpol's "I-Checkit" system to screen passports when passengers check in. This will be done for its 600 daily international flights using 100 airports across the region, said Yahoo News.
"AirAsia has established the new standard for airline security," it quoted Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble as saying. "This will raise the bar across the industry for passenger safety and security."
AirAsia said no personal data will be transmitted to Interpol other than passport numbers and issuing nation. If there is a positive match against the database, local authorities and Interpol will be notified, said Yahoo News.
Less than 10 countries do systematic screening of travel documents against the Interpol database. More than 1 billion times last year, travelers boarded planes without their passports being checked against the database, Interpol says.
"Airlines will no longer have to depend solely on countries screening passports to keep passengers safe from terrorists and other criminals who use stolen passports to board flights. Like AirAsia, they will be able to do it themselves as well," Noble said.
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