MANCHESTER AIRPORT NEWS - 02/02/2010

Security scanners installed at Manchester Airport's terminal 2

By Sam Lock.

New body scanners were introduced at Manchester Airport yesterday (February 1st).

The devices, which were recently trialled at the airport, have been introduced following new government security rules.

Manufactured by Rapiscan, the machines have been rolled out to the airport's terminal two building and are also expected to be installed in terminals one and three by the end of the month.

A number of human rights organisations, most notably the Equality and Human Rights Commission, have aired concerns regarding the scanners, since they produce images of passengers that expose their bodies.

Sarah Barrett, head of customer experience at Manchester Airport, commented: "We know privacy concerns have been on our customers' minds, which is why we have put strict procedures [in place] to reassure them that their privacy will be protected."

She added that the images generated by the scanners cannot be saved or captured and that security officers are not able to recognise people from the images.

Some 22 million journeys begin or end at Manchester Airport every year.

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