'Naked' Scanners Will Be Phased Out In October In Favor Of More 'Privacy Friendly' Devices

Manchester Airport said Monday that its trial of “naked” body scanners will end in October when testing will also begin on a new generation of privacy friendly security scanners.

The current body scanners will initially be replaced by five next generation security scanners. In line with Government policy, these include a feature which automatically processes images of passengers using a system that eliminates the need for an airport security officer to view the ghost-like body outlines that made the airport’s body scanners famous.

The new machines, manufactured by L3, scan passengers using radio frequency-based millimeter wave technology rather than the low dose x-rays used by the current back scatter body scanners. A computer analyses the scans and tell airport staff where to look for hidden objects using a stick figure diagram. A similar technology is used in safety systems to identify humans or objects that have fallen onto subway rail tracks in the United States.

Despite a panel of independent European health experts unanimously concluding in March that there was no evidence that backscatter body scanners posed health risks, Airport bosses say its current trial will close in six weeks because legislation from Brussels excludes the technology. "We’re baffled by this situation because health experts say they are safe plus the overwhelming majority of our passengers and security staff prefer body scanners to frisking and it’s frustrating that Brussels has allowed this successful trial to end," said Andrew Harrison, Chief Operating Officer at MAG, Manchester Airport’s parent company.

“Our security surveys and those run by the Department for Transport show passengers regularly rate their experience at Manchester as one of the best security processes in the UK if not Europe," he said. “There’s no doubt that body scanners play a big part in these results. That’s why we are once again investing in new next generation scanner technology where the human examination of images is automated.”

Five new security scanners in total will start to be installed across all three terminals and transfer lounges at Manchester Airport from October 1, 2012 in a trial expected to last three months. Airport bosses are hopeful that the trial will be a success so that it can invest in more machines. In the meantime, an additional 55 full time security staff will ensure that the current high levels of security and customer service are maintained through a combination of frisking and security scanners.

FMI: www.manchesterairport.co.uk