Naked Passengers 'Exposed' At Airport

A new system to check people at airports while being quicker and safer, also shows passengers 'naked', revealing the most intimate parts of their bodies.

The new type of X-ray scan, which produces naked images of passengers, has been installed on trial at Manchester Airport.

Sarah Barrett, Head of Customer Experience at the airport, said that this scanner takes away "the hassle of needing to undress" because passengers don't have to remove coats, They also remove the need for traditional "pat down" searchs, a method that could be considered offensive, which most passengers dislike.

This machine means that security checks take place more quickly yet will still clearly show hidden weapons or explosives.

But it also shows breast enlargements, body piercings and a clear black-and-white outline of passengers' limbs.

Images of the naked body reveal, not only the private parts of people bodies, but also confidential medical conditions, such as a passenger who uses a colostomy bag and therefore the new system is proving to be controversial.

Authorities say the images, which cannot be stored or captured, are not pornographic and would only be seen by one officer in a remote location. They will also be destroyed straight away.

The scan is absolutely safe, so frequent flyers do not have to be worried about the radiation.

Ms Barrett said: "Passengers can go through this machine 5,000 times a year each without worrying, it is super-safe and radiation transmitted is tiny."

The machine costs £80,000 and was also tested at Heathrow Airport in 2004. At the end of the current trial, which will last a year, the Department for Transport will decide to install permanently or not.

At the moment, at Manchester Airport's Terminal 2, travellers can refuse to be scanned and opt for the traditional methods.

(CL/BMcC)