Scanners 'to be trialled at Heathrow next month'

26/01/2010

By James Wilson.

Body scanners will be trialled at London Heathrow Airport from the beginning of February, it has been reported.

According to the Guardian, the British Aviation Authority will install one scanner at each of the airport's five terminal buildings following a failed bomb plot on a flight to Detroit last month.

The airport operator also expects pat-down searches to increase in number, while suspicious passengers could be subject to chemical swabs to test for explosives.

The department for transport (DfT) has drawn up guidelines for the use of the high-tech scanners, since they reveal the body of a passenger in detail.

A DfT spokesperson said: "It is vital that staff are properly trained and we are currently developing a code of practice to ensure these concerns are properly taken into account."

The machines are manufactured by Rapiscan and cost around £100,000 each.

In related news, Heathrow's on-time performance improved in the third quarter of 2009 compared with the same time in 2008.

The airport reduced its average delay from 16 minutes to 11 minutes during the period, according to figures from the Civil Aviation Authority.