A new body scanner is being trialled at Stansted for three months as part of a drive to enhance security procedures and improve passenger service.
The scanner is designed to provide an additional and less intrusive method of security screening by reducing the need for ‘pat-down’ searches.
The system is designed to detect any potential threats and prohibited items after a passenger activates a walk-through security arch. It highlights to security officers the area to search via a generic mannequin-type computer image.
The scanner uses radio frequency millimetre wave technology, rather than X-rays or ionising radiation.
It will be mandatory for passengers who are selected for a scan to comply. Any passenger refusing to be scanned will not be allowed to travel, the airport said.
Stansted’s head of terminal John Farrow said: “The trial of new body scanning technology is the next step on the way to further enhancing our security processes at Stansted.
“Providing a safe and secure airport for all our users will always be the highest priority but the introduction of this quick, effective and safe scan will also significantly improve the passenger’s experience of security searching and provide maximum protection of privacy.”