Delhi airport gets full-body scanners: Understanding how they will change aviation security

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Monday announced that it has started trials of the full-body scanner at its Terminal 2. The new addition to the airport’s security is in line with the directive of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

“Full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which are hard to detect with the conventional door frame metal detector,” Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a statement.

DIAL has installed a full-body scanner at the security check area for trials, it said.

“The trials would be conducted on a real-time basis i.e. passengers would have to pass through it during their security check before moving to the security hold area,” the statement said.

How do the scanners work? According to The Indian Express, the full-body scanners use millimetre wave technology to detect both metallic and non-metallic objects. Millimetre waves are electromagnetic waves at the higher end of the microwave band, lying in the extremely high frequency (EHF) range of 30-300 GHz.

Milimetre waves pass through common clothing material and reflect from any objects hidden underneath. These reflected waves are used by an imaging system to construct a 3D image on a screen, showing the size, shape and orientation of the concealed item.

According to DIAL, the scanners can detect non-metal objects such as narcotics, plastic explosives, and prohibited or illegal objects made of substances like rubber that cannot be detected by metal detectors.

Real-time trials of full-body scanner begin at Delhi Airport's Terminal 2

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The new scanners will also be able to detect any concealed objects in body cavities or organs.

As per The Indian Express report, the machine can scan a person and give results on the screen in under six seconds. One scanner can process around 200-300 persons in an hour.

The new technology will also make it unnecessary for passengers to remove their jewellery, shoes, belt, phones, and any other objects that can trigger the metal detector.

In the new scanners, a person can simply walk into and out of the machine, without any need for physical frisking by security personnel.

However, the metal detectors will still be used for special category passengers such as wheelchair-bound persons, senior citizens, or people who can’t pass through the scanner.

How safe is it?

Unlike earlier detection technologies, the new body scanners do not use X-rays or ionising radiation, hence are a safer alternative.

These scanners are also approved by the Transport Security Administration (TSA) and are deployed at airports across the United States. As per The Indian Express, the electromagnetic waves from this machine is 1,000 times less powerful than those from wireless handsets.

Does it breach a passenger’s privacy?

The officials have said that the scanner does not produce an image of the person and only highlights “threats” on a three-dimensional generic mannequin figure on the screen.

“Safety and security of civil aviation is a major concern for all. As an airport operator, DIAL has been constantly working to make the process smooth for the passengers without compromising security and safety. The CISF has been doing a tremendous job. Now, we have deployed one of the advanced full-body scanners at the airport. It takes care of passengers’ privacy during security checks and hardly has any impact on their health,” DIAL CEO Jaipuriar said, as reported by The Indian Express. With inputs from agencies

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