The FINANCIAL — The operator of Václav Havel Airport Prague is investing about 30 million crowns in a new explosives detector system. This is required by updated European security rules which came into force on 1 September 2015. The new detection devices can, to a considerable extent, replace the existing form of full-body search of passengers by touch and thereby significantly speed up the whole security check process of some people.
So far there are 30 new so-called explosives trace detectors at both terminals of Václav Havel Airport Prague however Prague Airport is planning to install a total of 39 of these modern devices. The detectors can identify any residual quantities of explosive substances on passengers or in their luggage. “Although today’s level of security at Václav Havel Airport Prague is of a high standard in an international comparison, investing in similar modern technology is essential so that we can continue to maintain this level in future,” Václav Řehoř, chairman of the board of directors of Český aeroholding explains the reasons for acquiring the new detectors.
The actual check is carried out by a security worker who firstly takes sweeps of luggage, clothing or surface of a passenger’s body to obtain a control sample and then places it in a device to check for possible contamination with explosive material. “The whole process of obtaining samples and analysis takes about 20 seconds and is nothing unpleasant for the passenger. On the contrary, in many cases this is beneficial for the passenger because for the most part it replaces the otherwise essential not very pleasant detailed hand full-body search of the passenger,” Řehoř describes the principle of its function, according to Václav Havel Airport Prague.
The investment in 39 new devices covers not just the replacement of the existing devices, but also increases their number making more extensive use in the process of security checks possible, including the costs of the ten-year support of operation and supply of spare parts.
The reason for the installation of the detectors is the amended European legislation which by improving the quality of security processes, responds to the new or modified security threats such as homemade explosives or sophisticated booby trapped explosive systems. Although the principle of trace detection of explosives is not new and similar devices have been used at airports for decades now, the detection and operational parameters of equipment is constantly improved. This allows not just a more thorough check, but also a far more extensive application than was possible before. The new detectors, which will appear at Václav Havel Airport Prague, have undergone demanding certification tests carried out under the auspices of the European Civil Aviation Conference.
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