SECURITY SCREENING ROUND-UP
COVID-19 may be top of every agenda, but the focus on pandemic proofing facilities doesn’t mean that airports are dropping the ball when it comes to other important issues – security least of all. Here we look at some of the latest developments in the airport security sector
Singapore security upgrade
Singapore’s Changi Airport Group has awarded a three-year contract to Montréal-based Genetec for the upgrade and enhancement of its security system. The work is due to be completed by the end of 2023 and will see Genetec Security Center, a unified security platform that blends IP security systems within a single intuitive interface, underpinning the airport’s security operations, with a specific focus on the video surveillance system across its terminals. The contract was awarded to Genetec following a competitive tender process.
“Increasingly, our airport customers are understanding the deep business insights Security Center is capable of delivering, its ability to inform and create value for multiple areas of an airport business operation and improve the overall passenger and employee experience,” said Giovanni Taccori, commercial lead transportation, APAC at Genetec.
According to Genetec, Security Center’s advantageous features include its flexibility and scalability. Its range of modular applications means that a system can be built to meet Changi’s unique requirements.
Its installation will also enable Changi to move away from independent systems and benefit from a unified view of its security information. Furthermore, the airport will benefit from the solution’s consolidated monitoring, reporting and map-centric approach to security management. Beyond core access control, video surveillance, ALPR systems and communications management, Security Center supports a variety of advanced features and plug-ins that help users address the evolving landscape of risks and threats, according to Genetec.
Automated security screening
Malaysia Airlines has become the first airline to use a new Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS) recently installed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). The system is expected to improve safety and speed up the security screening process, and its introduction is part of Airports 4.0, a Malaysia Airports digitalisation plan aimed at heightening airport security and improving airline operational efficiency.
The PRS is a new automated security screening system that scans and matches information on passenger travel documents to Malaysia Airlines’ passenger database in real time. This real-time reconciliation, which also uses double-layer encrypted data for added security, will filter out fraudulent travel documents. Not only will Malaysia Airlines benefit from the operational efficiency of real-time data, but the PRS will also be able to enhance customer experience as on-ground agents can be quickly alerted should there be a need to track the passengers during the final boarding call. Baggage belonging to no-show passengers can be immediately identified and offloaded from the aircraft, further reinforcing security and improving turnaround time. KUL has installed ten PRS units at Terminal 1 and 12 at Terminal 2.
Group chief executive officer (Group CEO) of Malaysia Airports, Dato’ Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh stressed the airport’s commitment to working with its airline partners to ensure operational readiness when air travel resumes.
“With the PRS in place, we are looking at speeding up, strengthening, and simplifying the security process for the benefit of all our stakeholders. Furthermore, all airports are now keeping up with the strictest practice of physical distancing and the new security process via the PRS plays a vital role in expediting the queue at the security checkpoints,” he said.
“The PRS is key to an elevated e-boarding experience as it will also allow us to implement the open gate concept at selected boarding gates resulting in the creation of more space for passengers to sit and wait comfortably prior to boarding their flight.”
Hold baggage screening
As part of planned ongoing developments at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Groupe ADP has awarded Alstef Group a design and construction contract for the renovation of the hold baggage screening system (HBS) at Terminal 2D. This contract is part of a global airport initiative to integrate Standard 3 Explosive Detection System (EDS) control machines, as per the latest safety requirements.
The system will be delivered in two main phases over 34 months. The first is due for completion in May 2022 and corresponds to an operational projection for the resumption of regular air traffic.
Included in the scope of work are 51 check-in counters, an automated outbound sortation system, two make-up carousels, power distribution, and control and supervision software complying with the security requirements of the LPM (military programming law).
The system’s benefits include: redundancy capacity; ease of operation; and maintainability of the baggage handling system. According to Alstef, theirs was the solution that best met the overall economic and CSR criteria.
Computed tomography
The USA’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to rollout computed tomography (CT) scanners at airports across the country. The CT scanner applies a sophisticated algorithm during the screening process while an X-ray camera shoots hundreds of images while spinning around the conveyor belt, generating a 3D image of the contents of the items being screened.
A TSA officer is then able to manipulate the X-ray image on screen for a thorough visual analysis, clearing the contents of the bag without having to open it. According to the TSA, reducing the number of bag checks is beneficial since it eliminates potential touchpoints amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
There are more than 280 CT units in place at 140 airports across the USA. The latest US airports to benefit from TSA-installed CT scanners are Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in Alabama and Antonio B Won Pat International Airport in Guam.
"The PRS plays a vital role in expediting the security queue"
“One of our top priorities throughout the pandemic continues to be keeping passengers, tenants and employees safe,” said Rick Tucker, Huntsville International Airport CEO. “This is also a priority for our partners across the airport as evidenced by the Transportation Security Administration’s continued efforts to reduce touchpoints.
“HSV is pleased that TSA in Huntsville will now offer this new technology as we all continue to work to provide our region with a facility that continues to improve safety and that our customers can utilise comfortably.”
The CT scanners were supplied by Smiths Detection as part of a US$96.8m contract to provide the TSA with 300 CT systems and associated ancillary equipment and services over five years.
ETD systems
Smiths Detection has also won a TSA contract for more than US$4m. The global leader in threat detection will supply IONSCAN 500 DT explosives trace detection systems (ETD), an explosives trace detector, to airports across the USA over the next two years, as well as providing on-site service maintenance.
The new ETDs are in addition to the systems already widely deployed throughout US airports, which are used for secondary screening at checkpoints or checked baggage areas.
The IONSCAN 500 DT, certified on the TSA qualified products list for security screening, utilises ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS) to perform trace analysis of explosives in seconds. According to Smiths Detection, it simultaneously detects and identifies explosives and narcotics. It has been designed for ease of use, with a large touch-screen colour display and a built-in thermal printer. The detector also utilises reusable sampling swabs. It will help airports detect a wide range of military, commercial and homemade threats, according to the manufacturer.
