New scanner in Europe airports to be installed owing to security concerns

London, April 7 (ANI): Britain's Department for Transport is likely to approve installation of a new generation of airport scanners, which would lift the ban on carrying liquids by passengers.

These scanners, having the capability of scanning liquids, have already been tested at a number of airports as part of trials, coordinated by the European Commission's Liquids Working Group.

According to The Telegraph, the Department for Transport spokesman confirmed that it had already approved the devices and it was working with the European Union to meet the new deadline for their installation.

There are already over 200 scanners deployed at UK airports, including around 80 at Heathrow Airport, which will be brought into use once approved.

The scanners that will be installed at the airports are Insight 100 and aTix. Insight 100, produced by Cobalt Light Systems, is capable of scanning bottles for explosive in less than 10 seconds, and the aTix, which uses x-Ray technology to scan a bottle and its contents. It was also capable of identifying a potentially dangerous liquid within seconds from its chemical make up.

Although passengers will still have to remove bottles from their cabin luggage for inspection, they will no longer be banned from carrying containers of fluid larger than 100ml.

A complete ban on carrying liquids onto an aircraft was introduced in August 2006 after a terrorist plotted to blast transatlantic aircraft, by mixing the liquid components of a bomb on board, was thwarted.

The passengers will further get good news of not requiring to remove laptops from hand luggage for inspection, one of the main causes of security delays.

However, the Transportation Security Administration in the United States is pushing for the restriction to be eased, with the European Union expected to follow suit. (ANI)