Airport bottle-scanner approved

The ban on liquids at airports could soon be less of a misery for passengers now that new X-ray technology that detects dangerous liquids has been approved for use in Europe.

Kromek, a British company, received certification from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) for its Kromek Bottle Scanner last week. The scanner detects dangerous liquids in closed containers by use of a colour X-ray detection system. This shows the liquid's spectral "colour" fingerprint which can be verified against a secure customer-specified database.

Kromek is headed by Arnab Basu, could confirm that the scanner has been ECAC-tested and authorised as early as tomorrow. The certification, an important commercial development for Kromek, means all EU airports can now buy and install the scanners.

According to EU plans, by April 2011 airports must have appropriate devices in place to scan liquids bought in transit. By April 2013, the ban on liquids on flights across Europe will be lifted.