Airport News
Security improvement for Birmingham Airport
Mon, 29 Sep, 2008
A new full body scanner has become a permanent fixture at Birmingham Airport following a successful trial, it has been reported.
The X-ray device sees through the clothes of people who are suspected of smuggling drugs in their stomachs and has already helped to catch smugglers, which officials say will make the airport a safer place for innocent passengers.
UK Border Agency detection manager Steve Roper told the Birmingham Mail: "When [drug smugglers] arrive, it might be difficult to tell from their outward approach that anything is wrong but the scanner means we can see through that."
The device means that trained customs officers can see instantly if a person is carrying drugs, rather than having to refer them to a radiology unit.
Earlier this month, it was announced that a new route is to open from Birmingham Airport - the sixth busiest in the UK in 2007 - to Amritsar in India on October 9th.