Travellers using Hong Kong’s airport will not have to unpack their carry-on luggage as they pass through security with the phased introduction of a new smart security screening system starting next month.
From July 2, the introduction of three-dimensional and 360-degree CT-based X-ray scanning technology will mean that passengers using the new smart channels need not remove their laptops or liquids from their bags, as they are currently required to do, the Airport Authority Hong Kong announced on Wednesday. Trays come with built-in sterilisation and will automatically be recirculated to passengers waiting to clear security.
Additionally, a new full-body scanner will replace a search using a hand-held metal detector for anyone who fails to clear the archway metal detector.
By the time all 50 smart channels and 32 body scanners are installed, the Airport Authority estimated that the new system would increase the average throughput by 20 per cent, it said in a statement.
“The upgrades of the security screening system at [Hong Kong International Airport] not only further enhance the overall screening performance, but also make mandatory airport procedures more pleasant to passengers, with the existing aviation security standards and requirements remaining intact,” Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at the authority, said in Wednesday’s statement.
The new security scanning system, which was announced by Chief Executive John Lee in his policy address last year, will make Hong Kong’s airport the first in the world to operate smart screening channels throughout the airport, according to the Airport Authority.
Once one of the busiest airports globally, the airport suffered as a result of strict Covid-related travel restrictions for close to three years. Since the city fully reopened its borders in February 2023, its tourism industry has struggled to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
In May, the airport handled 4.07 million passengers and 29,855 flight movements, compared to 6.2 million and 36,305 in May 2019. This reflects the trend in visitor arrivals to the city, which have yet to reach the heights seen in early 2019, before protests and unrest impacted the tourism figures, despite government efforts to attract travellers and spending through “mega events.”
In recent weeks, the airport has suffered from negative press after a broken-down cargo plane closed one of its runways for almost nine hours on June 17 and a nine-hour flight display system failure on Sunday.
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