Frankfurt becomes world’s first airport to regularly use walk-through security scanners for passengers

Credit: Fraport AG.

Frankfurt Airport is the first in the world to implement walk-through security scanners as a standard part of passenger security checks. After a year-long trial at Concourse A in Terminal 1, the German Federal Police have approved the full deployment of the security system. This advanced scanner enhances both comfort and efficiency, allowing travellers to pass through at a normal pace without the need to pause in an uncomfortable position.

About 18,000 departing passengers commute through this checkpoint daily. Going forward, the outlook is to extend the use of this technology to additional security check lanes in Terminal 1 and also deploy it in the new Terminal 3.

“We’re the world’s first airport to set a new standard of passenger security with this 360° walkthrough scanner,” says Alexander Laukenmann, Head of Fraport AG’s aviation division. “During the test phase we worked closely with the German Federal Police to optimise its operation and pave the way for its certification. This is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the passenger experience by using the latest technologies to make checkpoints faster and easier to navigate while upholding our high standard of security. A special thank you goes to the whole project team.”

How do the walk-through security scanners work?

The millimetre-wave technology used in the scanners penetrate clothing while an avatar pinpoints potentially dangerous objects in real time. If an alarm is triggered, security personnel can focus on the specific indicated area instead of having to completely rescan the passenger.

Since taking responsibility for the aviation security checks at Frankfurt Airport, Fraport has invested around €22 million to equip the security checkpoints with advanced CT technology and innovative lane designs.

Why has Fraport taken responsibility for managing the security checks?

Since January 1, 2023, Fraport has been responsible for of organising, managing, and operating the roughly 160 security lanes at Frankfurt Airport. The German Federal Police continues to be responsible, among other things, for defining general requirements relevant to aviation security, providing the required legal and technical supervision, ensuring overall aviation security, providing armed protection for checkpoints, approving new inspection equipment, and certifying and recertifying airport security screeners.

Detailed information on the various responsibilities and tasks involved in the air security checks at Frankfurt Airport is available here.

Fraport has taken responsibility for the organisation, management, and performance of the security checkpoints at Frankfurt Airport so that they have greater control over this crucial aspect of airport operations, improve passenger experience through the deployment of state-of-the-art CT scanners and allowing the German Federal Police to focus more on core policing duties. Fraport’s CEO, Dr. Stefan Schulte, referred to this new arrangement as the “‘Frankfurt Model’“, highlighting it as a cooperative approach with partners from the German Federal Interior Ministry and the German Federal Police. The successful launch of this project, with co-operation between airlines, airports, and the government, demonstrates the potential to make a difference and could “serve as a good example for other airports”, which is seen as “essential to ensure the global competitiveness of Germany’s aviation industry in the long term”