Body scanners deployed at 3 international airports

FT ONLINE

Body scanners have been installed at three international airports in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet to accelerate the passenger clearance processes without compromising airport security.

The scanners will enable authorities of the airports to deal with the threat of metallic, non-metallic, ceramics, powders, liquids, plastic explosives and terrorism tools. Common metal detectors are often unable to discover such materials.

Passengers on international routes will have to go through these scanners before departing.

The scanners, which were installed with the financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), are expected to be inaugurated within the next month.

Chattogram Airport sources said that the latest security technology 'Provision 2' body scanner was designed specifically for use at the airport. The eight feet clear glass made scanner takes only one and a half to two seconds to scan. In an hour, the machine can scan two to three hundred passengers.

Any passenger with any unauthorised objects will be caught on the scanners.

Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Air Civil Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman visited the 'Prevision 2' body scanning machine at Shah Amanat International Airport yesterday.

Wing Commander Sarwar E Zaman, managing director of Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, said, "Body scanning machines have been set up at Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet international airports in cooperation with JICA. There is some more setup left. These scanning machines will be inaugurated within the next one month."