"The difference is that you do not have to remove computer, phones, liquids, makeup, etc.," Edward Arkwright, executive director general of the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group, said Wednesday during the presentation to the press of this new equipment.
From Terminal 3 of Orly airport, where the two scanners have been tested since October, some passengers are surprised not to have to open their bags while others, accustomed to conventional controls, mechanically put in the plastic bins, the pouch in which they had already slipped their small format cosmetics.
Beyond saving time for users, technology makes it possible above all to improve the accuracy of controls by security agents.
While other European airports such as Heathrow in London and Schipol in Amsterdam are also experimenting with the system, Paris has the latest version of the software and therefore faster to run, according to details provided by ADP.
In front of the 3D visual of a suitcase that is displayed in a few seconds on its screen, the operator "will be able to turn the image, look at it from every angle," says Mr. Arkwright, which makes it possible to "know if the object he has spotted requires a removal of doubt, so a manual search, which will take two or three minutes".
In the vicinity of the conveyor belts, the employees of the company Sécuritas, subcontractor of ADP at these checkpoints, are already delighted to no longer have to repeat "a thousand times in the hour that we must remove all liquids", as part of this test.
"It's revolutionary," says Sammia Lacheb, who has been working in Paris airports for 14 years. "It's a real breath of fresh air actually," she adds, guiding every passenger who comes before her, smiling.
After this one-year experimental phase at Orly launched in October 2022, the device will be tested at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport from October 2023.
© 2023 AFP