The European Commission has proposed a passenger name record (PNR) directive that would require airlines flying into and out of the EU to hand passenger information to law enforcement. The information required includes names of passengers and how much they paid for the fare. The Commission has vowed to protect the privacy of citizens under the system.
European home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said that "Common EU rules are necessary to fight serious crime such as drugs smuggling and people trafficking as well as terrorism.”
The PNR system will only apply ton international flights from the EU and not between flights within Europe, as some states requested.
"Considering the large number of travellers in internal flights, which is three times more than the number of passengers on international flights, the costs of setting up and operating the system would be much higher," the commission said.