Security Scanner tested successfully at Zurich Airport

From June 8 to July 14 a security scanner was tested at Zurich Airport to test the reliability of the system and its functionalities live. The system has found great acceptance among the passengers.

The security scanner has been tested in June and July at Zurich Airportürich during six weeks. Three days of the week the system was on duty to check passengers at the gates A51 tos A56. On July 14 the test phase ended successfully. At the moment the installation of a security scanner is not planned. Airort Zurich wanted to test the reliability of the system, its capacity but also the acceptance among passengers. About 4.800 passengers und airport employees went through a security check during the testing. The security check via the security scanner was voluntary for all passengers and employees as an alternative to the standard security check. The experiences made with the system showed that the acceptance is high. An important factor was that with the system used no real body image could be seen but only a stick figure.

Background:

At the request of the European Parliament and Member States, on June 15th the EU Commission has issued a communication assessing the use of security scanners at European airports. The EU commission made clear, that the deployment and operation of airport scanners must be based on common standards and that EU Members must also ensure compliance with European fundamental rights and health provisions. The communication is supposed to be a " fact-finding report". It is a technical and factual report which assesses the current situation with regard to the use of security scanning technology in terms of detection capacity, and compliance with fundamental rights and health protection. The report is a direct response to a request from the European Parliament for information on this issue so as to provide the basis for an informed discussion.

Text of the EU commission communication