Singling out passengers considered more of a security threat would create a new offence of "travelling whilst Asian", one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers warned.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Desai said intelligence could be used to examine travel history, how a ticket is purchased and the persistency to travel.
But he added: "It becomes hugely problematic when it's based on ethnicity, religion and country of origin. I don't think there's a stereotypical image of a terrorist."
The Timesreports that officials at the Department for Transport are considering a system of passenger-profiling that would select people behaving suspiciously, who have an unusual travel pattern or have a certain ethnic or religious background.
It comes after former Scotland Yard chief Lord Stevens said that airport chaos could be reduced by targeting passengers for more rigorous checks, with "young Muslim men" a focus.
But Mr Desai told BBC 2's Newsnight: "What you are suggesting is that we should have a new offence in this country called 'travelling whilst Asian'.
"That's unpalatable to everyone. It is communities that defeat terrorism, and what we don't want to do is actually alienate the very communities who are going to help us catch terrorists. We cannot lose sight of the fact that terrorists come in all shapes and sizes."
PA