Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will soon get India’s first full-body scanner at the security checkpoint. The airport security department will be using the body scanner in place of metal detector to carry out security checks on passengers. Places other than Bengaluru may also get this technology by April 2020.
Making body scanners mandatory
The Bureau for Civil Aviation Secretary (BCAS) has made the body scanner mandatory for airports, which are specified as ‘hypersensitive’, or places to be vulnerable to security risks. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and three airports in Jammu and Kashmir are amongst the plan.
On July 1 this body scanner was put to trial in the KIA and it is said that these scanners will continue over the next three to four weeks, a spokesperson for Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) revealed. These Body scanners can detect objects being carried by a traveler without the need for physical contact like frisking.
Official’s statement on these scanners
“As per the Government of India guidelines, Bengaluru airport has been advised to go live with body scanners by April 2020. BIAL is currently working towards ensuring that all Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs) would be replaced with body scanners in the security hold areas and at least one set of DFMDs shall be retained for the screening of passengers/ persons with medical conditions/ reduced mobility. This decision, however, would be based on the outcome of the PoC,” the BIAL spokesperson added.
Earlier, the security officials gave air travelers an option to decline the body scanners, in which they could have gone through a full pat-down search as an option. In fact, travelers with medical conditions would have also exempted with the body scanners.
“Based on specifications issued by the BCAS, BIAL is using body scanners with Millimetre Wave (illumination) technology. This technology ensures that the scanners are safe for pregnant women and people with pacemakers,” the spokesperson added.
