Teesside International Airport in the UK has announced the addition of new body and baggage scanners ahead of a major £1m (US$1.3m) renovation of its security area. It hopes that the body scanner and a C3 x-ray baggage scanner will speed up security traffic in the face of predicted increasing passenger numbers.
According to the airport, the body scanner will complement existing metal detectors to reduce physical checks, while the baggage scanner, due to be installed in October, will mean passengers no longer have to remove liquids and electrical items from bags. The airport notes that the machines will also make onward connectivity to Amsterdam Schiphol and Heathrow even smoother by removing the requirement to go through those airports’ security processes.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen explained, “Our airport is going from strength-to-strength despite the unprecedented impact on the travel industry caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We’re developing routes, we’re developing the wider site and we also need to keep developing the terminal to give local people and visitors from across the world the best possible experience.
“Our 10-Year Rescue Plan sets out how we’re going to see 1.4 million passengers through our terminal doors per year and these machines are needed for airports who process more than a million. As ever, we’re being ambitious, going further faster and planning for the future. Our redesigned, state-of-the-art security area will be a blessing for anyone who wants to fly worldwide from Teesside.”
The trial of the new machines comes shortly after it was revealed that the airport’s arrivals hall was also undergoing renovation to make it easier to use and more attractive to passengers. The airport anticipates that the security area will be fully redesigned, with further scanners installed, by April 2021.