State-of-the-art body scanner to be trialled at Stansted Airport

A NEW state-of-the-art body scanner will be trialled at Stansted Airport this week as part of the Uttlesford transport hub’s drive to enhance security procedures and improve passenger service.

The machine instantly detects any potential threats and prohibited items after a passenger has activated the walk-through security arch and highlights to security officers the area to search via a generic mannequin-type computer image.

The introduction of the new scanner is designed to provide an additional and less intrusive method of security screening, while improving customer service for the airport’s passengers by reducing the need for pat-down searches.

The ProVision scanner, manufactured by L-3, uses radio frequency millimetre wave technology, not X-rays or any ionising radiation. The trial will start on Thursday (October 25) and is due to run for three months.

It will be mandatory for passengers who are selected for a scan to comply. Any passenger refusing to be scanned will not be allowed to travel.

John Farrow, Stansted Airport’s head of terminal, said: “The trial of new body scanning technology is the next step on the way to further enhancing our security processes at Stansted.

“Providing a safe and secure airport for all our users will always be the highest priority but the introduction of this quick, effective and safe scan will also significantly improve the passenger’s experience of security searching and provide maximum protection of privacy.”