MONTREAL -- Airport employees will soon have their biometric data scanned before gaining access to restricted areas, Transport Canada and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority announced.
A new restricted-area card will include either the fingerprint or iris measurement of the cardholder.
The new cards are now being tested at airports in Vancouver and Kelowna, B.C.
"The government of Canada is committed to continuously enhancing the security of our aviation system," Transport Minister Jean Lapierre told a news conference at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, where the cards will next be tested.
The cards will also be tested in Charlottetown.
"These projects will continue to ensure Canada's place as one of the world leaders in aviation security."
Transport Canada and CATSA also announced yesterday a pilot project to use document-screening equipment to detect explosives at pre-boarding checkpoints.
The new identification equipment will test for traces of explosives on passenger documents such as boarding passes.
