Some tunnels, drainage pipes and electrical ducts that run beneath runways and taxiways may have to be examined in older airports. Mr. Harbison said. Immigration authorities in Asia may eventually scrap today's time-consuming procedures of filling out and submitting forms. Industry officials say passport data could be forwarded from the departing country and passengers could be approved for entry while they are still in the air. A system in the United States allows travelers arriving at some airports to use a credit card-size identification card in tandem with a biometrics system.
Passengers swipe the card through a magnetic stripe system and place their hand on a scanner.
Their entry into the country is recorded electronically. Passengers must apply for the card in advance. But the prospect of airports being swamped by superjumbos is still a long way off. Mr. O'Brien said.