UK ministers push for passenger data to curb illegal migration

While the European Union is in the process of setting rules for airline passenger information, UK ministers are trying to ensure that they get access to the same. This is to allow the UK government to curb migrant issues by tracking airline passenger listings in advance.

The European Union is working out a programme through which information about passengers will be given to the states that comprise the Union but exclusively to tackle terrorist and criminal activities. The information will be given out by the airlines two days prior to passenger travel and will cover; travel schedule, frequency of travel and details of cost of travel. This data is used by government agencies to keep track of people movements and ensure security checks. This information does not include personal passenger details such as native descent, religion and political affiliations.

It is stipulated by the European Union that airlines need to preserve details of passenger travel for a period of thirteen years. UK is following this system within its borders by maintaining information of passengers flying in and out of the country. Apart from this, UK has an e-Borders project that has records of 50 million travellers by flight. With the help of this information, the UK government issues ‘no fly' instructions for illegal immigrants and also immigrants who have committed offences.

The European Union has categorically told the UK that PNR information should be used within the rules set by them failing which the UK may need to exclude itself from the European agreement. However the UK Home Ministry is convinced in the merit of the e-Borders programme that it follows given its success in issuing alerts and making arrests for migrant offences.