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Passengers heading to the US will soon be asked for personal information before boarding flights, in the nation's bid to stop terrorists.

The Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) will take all the data on a passport, such as full name, gender, and country where the passport was issued, before a flight and allow authorities to stop a suspect person boarding a plane.

Department of homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff said: 'Our priority is to keep terrorists out of the United States by preventing them from boarding international flights.

'Receiving APIS data before a plane takes off is another layer of security that allows us to identify terrorists before they are en route to the United States. This rule will also help eliminate the inconvenience of flight diversions due to security concerns.'

The US authorities aim to work with airlines, airports and local authorities around the world to put the system in place.

Local officials will have to complete checks 15 minutes before a flight is due to take off interactively comparing passenger lists with a US government watch list.


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