As passengers move from the airport’s departure lobby to the gates, each passenger and their carry-on luggage has to go through security control. This ensures that passengers do not bring any forbidden substances or objects on board the aircraft. Read more on what you can take aboard and what is better left at home or packed in your cargo hold luggage. With Finavia’s search engine, you can ensure separately by each item whether it’s allowed in the cabin or cargo hold.
In Helsinki Airport’s Terminal 2, the security check process is going to be even smoother from now on: new security scanners that were deployed at the beginning of the year will make passenger searches quicker and departures safer. This is how the scanners will enable smoother departures.
1. There will be fewer pat-down searches
During security control, a passenger places their hand luggage and outerwear on the conveyor belt to be X-rayed, and walks through the gate. If the passenger sets off an alarm or they are subjected to random sampling, a member of the security staff will ask the passenger to step into a security scanner.
The scanner has two walls between which the passenger is asked to step in. An illustration on the wall will guide the passenger into a correct position: feet are placed hip-wide and arms are spread out on both sides.
After scanning the passenger, the machine will display a human-shape which shows the area that set off the alarm. A security officer will only search this area with their hands, which is why there are fewer pat-down searches. This results in faster security control.
2. The new scanners are designed to be ergonomic
The new security scanners at Helsinki Airport are also ergonomic. Passengers do not have to raise their arms above shoulder line unlike in some other scanner models.
The security scanners are spacious and easy-to-use, and the passenger only needs to spend a few seconds between the walls. After this, both the passenger and a security officer can see which area of the body triggered the alarm based on the avatar produced by the machine.
3. The scanners improve security
The new security scanners are further improving security as well as passenger experience. The scanners that have been selected for Helsinki Airport are more accurate than pat-down searches because the machine identifies all dangerous objects and substances regardless of which material they are made. The fast and effective scanners are timesavers for both passengers and staff.
The security scanner uses low-frequency millimetre waves that pass through clothing, but not through skin. The scanners are also safe for passengers who are pregnant or use pacemakers.
