Security Oracle News Archive

BAA Plans Terminal Security Overhaul

Mon, October 23, 2006

Source: Guardian Unlimited

Britain's main airports are expected to undergo a major overhaul in an attempt to banish the queues that crippled the world's busiest...

Britain's main airports are expected to undergo a major overhaul in an attempt to banish the queues that crippled the world's busiest international flight hub in August.
BAA - the owner of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, as well Scotland's three largest airports - is understood to be drawing up plans to expand the security checking areas that became clogged with passengers in the aftermath of the terror scare. This includes more security lanes, as well as making security areas deeper in order to accommodate larger queues.

The expanded operation will require extra scanning equipment and metal detector arches. But security experts said BAA's highest priority must be the hiring of security personnel - security checking lanes were closed during the August chaos due to lack of staff, while thousands of passengers queued to enter the departure lounges. Norman Shanks, former head of security at BAA, said the key issue "is not the lack of equipment, but the lack of people to man it".

Guardian