Politician pushes for biometric ID cards for pilots
21 October, 2010
category: Biometrics, Government
As there has been no movement on the part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on providing biometric and tamper-resistant ID cards for their pilots since the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring them to do so by December 2005, Florida Congressman John Mica has began demanding an answer from the agency on why there has been no movement, according to a Next Gov article.
Mica is not alone as he has other members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, a committee on which he serves, looking into the matter as well.
FAA officials have responded that they are expecting to publish a new rule that would require pilots to obtain a certificate that includes a photo, which current pilot IDs do not have, but did not specify any dates or any other requirements for the new IDs such as biometric capability.
In addition to pressures from congressmen, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, a trade group representing airline pilots, has also issued a statement in support of ID security upgrades including biometrics.
Read the full story here.