Finavia to test new security check technology at Helsinki Airport

As part of Finavia’s Terminal 2 expansion at Helsinki Airport, planning for a new generation of hand luggage technology to be piloted is underway in order to develop and revolutionise the security check process.

The technology is intended to be tested as early as 2020, ready for the opening of the terminal expansion in 2021.

The new technology will enable travellers to carry liquids and consumer electronics within their hand luggage and take them through security control without having to undergo the inconvenient process of placing liquids within airport standard plastic bags and removing laptops from bags and suitcases. This new development will inevitably make the security check process far easier and limit delays.

Service Manager of Security Services at Finavia, Joni Pekkanen, said: “We are designing a terminal for the future. We want to build an equipment base that meets future requirements and makes security screening much smoother. The key to this, among other things, is scanning based on computed tomography and intelligent algorithms, which allows all liquids to be carried in hand luggage and eliminates the need for big pieces of electronic equipment to be taken out of bags.” 

As a result of not requiring liquids to be taken out of bags, there will no longer be a need for transparent plastic bags to be used in order to hold them. Pekkanen continued: “Reducing the amount of waste is important to us and it’s one of the reasons for applying new technology. Today, we use millions of plastic bags a year due to security screening. We inspect about eight million passengers a year at Helsinki Airport and most of them carry a sealed one-litre bag for liquids.”

The technology will be first installed in the non-Schengen security check, meaning departing passengers will not yet see the benefits and will be required to follow current security processes. Experience will first be gained on the functionality of the technology before any major decisions are made for the future.