Airport officials have beefed up security to an all time high as a result of Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng's wake-up call yesterday over the passport mix up at Singapore Changi Airport.

The Straits Times reported that Deputy Prime Minister Wong gave a stern warning to all heads of departments to take direct charge and step up checks to ensure vigilance at all levels and leave no room for complacency.

This was in response to an incident yesterday where a 61-year-old retiree was able to clear past security and fly to Vietnam using his son's passport.

Travellers who spoke to The Straits Times said that an additional officer has been stationed before the automated immigration lanes at the Budget Terminal.

The officer was checking passengers’ names and faces against their travel documents before they approached the Immigration Automated Clearance System.

Human error has been a problem recently in terms of security and there is a need for all officers to take their roles seriously and be alert at all times as DPM Wong emphasised in his statement yesterday.

Airlines also said they were going to take steps to ensure that all security checking procedures were followed.