Airport security: new screening technology

Airport security: new screening technology. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) will launch a pilot project at Kelowna International Airport to test whole body imaging technology on a voluntary basis. Also called millimetre wave, the new equipment will be integrated with existing screening capabilities at the Kelowna International Airport test site.

“The new millimetre wave technology at Kelowna will offer an additional layer of security. Our voluntary pilot project will enable us to see if the technology can accelerate the screening process by cutting down the number of physical searches,” said Kevin McGarr, CATSA’s interim Chief Executive Officer. Prior to the pilot, CATSA consulted with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada which is satisfied with the pilot project as it meets all the conditions of the Office.

The screening option using the mmWave is strictly voluntary and passenger anonymity is paramount. The screening officer is not able to link the image to a particular passenger. A trained and certified screening officer examines the images from a separate room. The officer cannot see the passenger before, during or after the screening process. The images are deleted as soon as the review is complete. Images are not stored, printed or transmitted.

The millimetre wave unit is fully compliant with the health and safety standards of Canada. The energy projected by the unit is 1/10,000th of the energy coming from a cell phone. Millimetre wave technology generates detailed images of the body without physical contact between the screening officer and the passenger. The technology works by projecting low-level radio frequency (RF) energy over and around the passenger’s body producing a three-dimensional image of the passenger.

The images reveal objects, including weapons and explosives, which may be concealed under clothing. The image is monitored by a screening officer in a separate room, with no view of the actual passenger. Passengers departing from Kelowna and travelling within Canada will be offered the opportunity to volunteer for the pilot project from 23 June 2008 to 30 January 2009.

Following the trial period, CATSA will examine the data and present its recommendations to Transport Canada. “We are fortunate at Kelowna International Airport to have partnered with CATSA on a number of pilot projects,” explains Airport General Manager, Sam Samaddar. “Such security trials include the first to use biometric technology, the Restricted Area Identity Card Program (RAIC) and implementation of anti tailgating security. Kelowna International is very pleased to be the first location to host this pilot project.”

In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration is piloting the millimetre wave technology at Los Angeles International, JFK, Baltimore-Washington, Dallas-Fort-Worth, Reagan-National, and Phoenix Sky Harbor airports. Other airports in the world such as Moscow, Osaka and Schiphol (Amsterdam) are also using the technology.

The pilot at Phoenix Sky Harbor demonstrated that passengers prefer this new method of screening.