Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced the deployment of the next generation of alarm resolution technology for checkpoints throughout London Heathrow airport, delivering advanced security and efficiency. The Insight200M from Agilent ensures increased safety on planes while improving passenger experience at airports.
The ban on liquids in carry-on luggage was slowly lifted to allow baby food, medicinal items, and duty-free items, and there is a continuous shift to further simplify the experience at checkpoints while maintaining security. This shift has led to the adoption of new computed tomography X-ray (CT) screening technology in place of conventional X-ray systems. Heathrow has announced the rollout of the new CT security equipment throughout the airport over the next few years, however it requires an advanced alarm resolution system, such as the Insight200M, to be in place after the primary screening to resolve alarms and ensure safety while maintaining passenger satisfaction.
The Insight200M liquid explosive detection system (LEDS) is ECAC standard 3 Type A & B certified and provides cutting-edge technology that works alongside CT systems. It enables increased passenger throughput, as the Insight200M has a low false alarm rate, ensuring that items are screened quickly with the high detection rate.
“As one of the world’s premier travel hubs, Heathrow airport’s deployment of Insight200M systems continues a strong partnership that started with Cobalt Light Systems (now part of Agilent) in 2013,” said Geoff Winkett, vice president and general manager of Molecular Spectroscopy at Agilent. “The new fleet has been deployed at Heathrow throughout the busy summer months with minimal impact to operations due to the dedication of the Agilent and Heathrow teams.”
While the 100 mL rule for liquids will remain in place for all passengers travelling through the UK for the foreseeable future, once CT and Insight200M solutions are deployed, this security solution could potentially end the requirement for passengers to remove liquids and laptops from cabin baggage when passing through security.