Close Protection World News
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It’s an idea that has been mooted before, and is already in place in a number of countries across the world, but it would be the first time it featured here in the UK. The US is currently in talks in a bid to introduce pre-screening security checks at airports across the UK. Such checks would mean US passport control and other security officials would be stationed in airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, and it would mean reduced waiting times at American airports.
Such checks are already conducted in airports in Ireland, as well as in some other countries across the world, and the country is looking to expand this service in order to help the considerable waiting times that US residents and visitors to the country often experience when travelling over. Experts have said that it could mean that passengers on connecting flights, and holidaymakers and business travellers that head to the US could see their own security waiting time reduced as a result as well.
The move has been welcomed by US Homeland Security, Airlines for America, and a number of major US airlines have all welcomed the move, and the recent £1bn upgrade of Manchester airport includes facilities for these checks to be carried out when the airport is due to be fully upgraded in 2022.
It has not yet been announced which other airports would feature this screening, and no other UK airports have commented on the proposals, but it would realistically only effect those passengers travelling to the US and would mean having security checks while in the UK instead of having those checks when they arrive on American soil so there would certainly be no additional disruption. What’s more, because there would be fewer people queueing at the screening checks, it is likely to speed the security checks up for all those that need to have them so the move is likely to be welcomed by everybody.
Manchester Airport unveiled £1bn plans for a massive revamp that would see terminal 2 double in size, and terminal 3 increase its capacity. This would eventually mean that terminal 1 use would be phased out, bring an end to more than 50 years of use. Among the plans and changes would be pre-screening, as well as additional improvements using modern technology that the Manchester Airport Group say will reduce security checking times to 5 minutes and 10 minutes during off-peak and peak times respectively.
Meanwhile, US airports and airlines are preparing themselves for a major security shakeup, as it emerged that airport screeners effectively allowed mock explosives and weapons to pass through customs and onto flights. According to sources, such tests were carried out at 70 airports, and only three of those tested managed to detect the devices. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has said that staff need to be retrained and that the scanning equipment that is used in airports needs to be rigorously retested. He also said that he was taking the results of the tests extremely seriously.
Such checks are already conducted in airports in Ireland, as well as in some other countries across the world, and the country is looking to expand this service in order to help the considerable waiting times that US residents and visitors to the country often experience when travelling over. Experts have said that it could mean that passengers on connecting flights, and holidaymakers and business travellers that head to the US could see their own security waiting time reduced as a result as well.
The move has been welcomed by US Homeland Security, Airlines for America, and a number of major US airlines have all welcomed the move, and the recent £1bn upgrade of Manchester airport includes facilities for these checks to be carried out when the airport is due to be fully upgraded in 2022.
It has not yet been announced which other airports would feature this screening, and no other UK airports have commented on the proposals, but it would realistically only effect those passengers travelling to the US and would mean having security checks while in the UK instead of having those checks when they arrive on American soil so there would certainly be no additional disruption. What’s more, because there would be fewer people queueing at the screening checks, it is likely to speed the security checks up for all those that need to have them so the move is likely to be welcomed by everybody.
Manchester Airport unveiled £1bn plans for a massive revamp that would see terminal 2 double in size, and terminal 3 increase its capacity. This would eventually mean that terminal 1 use would be phased out, bring an end to more than 50 years of use. Among the plans and changes would be pre-screening, as well as additional improvements using modern technology that the Manchester Airport Group say will reduce security checking times to 5 minutes and 10 minutes during off-peak and peak times respectively.
Meanwhile, US airports and airlines are preparing themselves for a major security shakeup, as it emerged that airport screeners effectively allowed mock explosives and weapons to pass through customs and onto flights. According to sources, such tests were carried out at 70 airports, and only three of those tested managed to detect the devices. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has said that staff need to be retrained and that the scanning equipment that is used in airports needs to be rigorously retested. He also said that he was taking the results of the tests extremely seriously.