Finavia considers introduction of profiling of passengers

Should Finland introduce the so-called X-ray scanning of air travellers, Finavia, the service company that maintains the country’s network of 25 commercial airports, might start selecting people for the security checks based on their religion and nationality.
      In an interview with the Sunnuntaisuomalainen weekly Finavia chief of security Jyrki Vikström explains that this type of profiling of passengers is necessary, among other things, because there simply is not time to scan every single traveller.
     
According to Vikström, above all one’s behaviour at the airport will contribute to one’s chances of having to undergo the electromagnetic scanning.
      In Great Britain, steps have been taken to introduce similar kind of profiling measures. This process was given added momentum by the foiled Christmas Day airline bomb plot by a Nigerian national with links to London.
      In Finland the profiling of passengers would require  approval by the EU.
      On Sunday Vikström pointed out to the news agency STT that so far the new practice is only being considered and that a passenger’s religious views are not necessarily apparent.
      Finavia emphasises in its statement that no instructions have been issued to check passengers based on their religion or nationality.
     
Scanners of the type currently being discussed were in use at Helsinki-Vantaa in a pilot programme, but the experiment was ended last autumn.
      The incident at Christmas on a NorthWest Airlines flight into Detroit has, however, breathed new life into the idea of low energy X-ray scanning of passengers.
      The United States' Transportation Security Administration's has declared the intention of settting up 300 of them at airports this year.
      Some passengers have objected to the "naked" scanners as a violation of privacy and human rights, even though the images fall far short of real nudity.  


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki-Vantaa Airport discontinues X-ray scanning of passengers (6.10.2009)
  Majority of air passengers agree to fluoroscopic scanning at Helsinki-Vantaa security check (29.9.2008)

Links:
  Finavia
  Backscatter X-ray (Wikipedia)
  Do "backscatter" X-ray systems pose a risk to frequent fliers?