London Southend Airport has announced the trial of a new cabin baggage screening system which will allow passenger to leave liquids and laptops within their bags as they travel through security. The airport hopes the system will ultimately lead to reduced processing time for passengers through the terminal.
The trial uses HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX computed tomography (CT) equipment from Smiths Detection, alongside an automated tray handling system, the iLane.evo.
Commenting on the project, Smiths Detection’s Richard Thompson, global director for aviation, said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has not taken away the need for security screening at airports. In addition to providing Southend with solutions that will help to heighten security screening, the equipment will provide operational efficiencies and passenger experience improvements that will benefit the airport, travelers and operators as air travel picks up and long into the future.”
Initially the trail will run on a single security lane at Southend. According to Smiths, the CT technology used in its machine provides advanced detection of explosives with a low false alarm rate, and is compliant with both TSA AT-2 certification and ECAC EDS CB C3 standards.
The iLane.evo tray system automates the tray return process, and features a counter design which allows for multiple passengers to prepare their baggage for checking simultaneously.
If the trial is successful, the airport hopes to roll out the system to further security lanes.