ATHENS, July 20 (AFP) - Staff in some key posts at Athens international airport will be subject to scans of the irises of their eyes as part of a pilot scheme to improve security, the airport authorities disclosed Tuesday.
The system will be put in place "by the end of the month" to be operational before the Olympic Games, to be held in Athens from August 13 to 29.
The Greek data protection authority has given the go-ahead for the project, limiting it to staff having access to the airport`s operations centre.
The specific characteristics of the iris will be recorded on a card which they will have to use to enter. A scanner will compare data on the card with the eyes of its holder.
"The aim of the system is of crucial importance to ensure the security of the working of the airport, the protection of passengers and staff," the data protection authority said.
But it has asked the airport to submit a report in a year`s time on how the scheme has worked.
Trade union representatives have agreed the scheme can be introduced and say it does not represent a threat to the protection of the personal data of employees, according to the data protection authority, but they have asked for certain precautions to be taken.
Lat November it refused to authorise a similar voluntary system for passengers on Alitalia flights between Athens and Milan.
The experiment, called s-Travel and financed by the European Union and Switzerland, was due to run for six months between November 2003 and April 2004 at the two airports.
The Greek government reacted to criticism of the plan by stressing its limited nature and the fact that it was voluntary.