How smart security screening improves passenger experience

A new smart security screening technology being put to use at Hong Kong International Airport is set to improve the passenger experience. So the challenge of having to take off shoes and some clothing at the airport while opening and closing one’s luggage and at the same time struggling with the tray, the beep of metal detectors and sometimes having to wait on the queue while a boarding announcement is being called for your flight, which raise travel anxiety, will be better managed.

While some airports, since 2015, have been replacing outdated scanning systems with advanced computerised tomography (CT) X-ray machines, Hong Kong International Airport is, however, the first in the world to introduce such across the whole airport. It is expected to further improve operational performance and passenger experience as it is implemented from July, 2024.

So passengers who use the new smart security screening channels can now keep laptops, mobile phones and other electronics, as well as aerosols, gels and liquids in their carry-on luggage. They will no longer have to remove them for screening, as is required by present security protocol. Travellers will be able to keep liquids and electronics in their hand luggage when they pass through security at Hong Kong airport from July, due to an HK$800 million (US$102 million) upgrade of the system that includes smart screening. Though the new process will no longer require passengers to remove electronic devices and liquids from their hand luggage, liquids exceeding 100ml will still be prohibited.

These CT scanners generate three-dimensional views, allowing security personnel to rotate images and inspect the contents of hand luggage from different angles. By screening more individuals within a shorter timespan, this technology allows lines to move more quickly, helping airports avoid delays and passengers experience less stressful journeys. Also, the new system is equipped with other passenger-focused functions; these include auto-tray rejection, in-built tray sterilisation and an automatic alert to passengers for uncollected items on the tray. It is the latest 3D and 360-degree CT-based X-ray scanning technology that is enabling this improvement to passenger experience at the airport.

Another feature where passengers fail to clear the archway metal detector, is that further screening will be conducted in a new full-body scanner. This is replacing the existing manual search that uses a hand-held detector. From the way it works, the advanced imaging technology deployed in the full-body scanner can accurately locate any concealed items while reducing physical contact between passengers and security staff. To protect passengers’ privacy, only a simple outline of the body will be shown on the screen of this new body scanner.

The method of implementation presents useful learning points for other airports. The new passenger security screening system is composed of fifty channels and thirty-two full-body scanners. This is being installed and put into operation in Terminal 1 in phases. The first batch at South and North Departures Immigration Halls in Terminal 1 was put into service on 2 July 2024.  Performance measurement in this regard is based on data.  It is expected that apart from enhancing passenger experience, operational efficiency can also be achieved by introducing the new smart security screening system, increasing the average throughput by about 20 percent. 

A useful justification for introducing this technology at any airport, considering the enormous capital investment in this period where airports are having to navigate through tough times is to have data on throughput time at the airport without the new smart technology. Then followed by the expected savings in time by passengers when this scanner is acquired. The devices are expected to scan passengers’ carry-on luggage and generate a three-dimensional image for analysis, reducing scanning times from 15 to 10 seconds. The airport’s departure halls currently boast 35 security lanes, with each handling 240 passengers per hour. The smart revamp will reduce the number of lanes to 28, with each able to process 360 people every hour, and, it is expected that 98 percent of passengers will complete the security screening process within four-and-a-half minutes.

It is important to recall that passengers removing laptops, mobile phones and other electronics, as well as aerosols, gels and liquids in their carry-on luggage has been the norm since 2006. Liquids have been under strict scrutiny since a terrorist plot involving chemical explosives was thwarted that year. Because most scanners couldn’t detect liquids with passenger electronics in the way, those laptops, tablets, and e-readers also had to be removed and that is now changing. So in addition to the economic argument, there is the improved safety and security of passengers due to this new smart screening technology. Also, pointing out the connection between improved passenger experience and the bottom line will go a long way in convincing decision makers on the need for this asset at an airport.

Airports in Africa will now need to bring forward future plans for the introduction of this technology enabled airport security processing to ensure that they keep  the passenger experience at levels not too far away, if not match and exceed that of their peers across the globe. It will involve significant capital investment as well as training and retraining of employees at the airport. It will require customer sensitisation on the improved security protocol when put to use. And with increased mobility across African countries, especially for those in the same region, will become a differentiator of one airport from the other that may determine who gets a better share of the growing air transport market across the continent.

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