12:30pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010
By Andy Tate, Parliamentary Correspondent
Gatwick Airport is expected to install security body scanners that produce naked images of passengers later this year.
The Government's requirement for Advanced Imaging Technology machines to be installed at Heathrow and Manchester airports came into force yesterday and Birmingham Airport is expected to follow their lead later this month.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said this would be followed by a "nationwide roll-out" of scanners in the coming months - with Gatwick Airport likely to be among the first.
However, it is not yet known whether smaller airports, such as Shoreham, will also be expected to install the technology.
The scanners are designed to give airport security staff "a much better chance of detecting explosives or other potentially harmful items hidden on a passenger's body", Lord Adonis said.
At first, only a small proportion of passengers will be selected for scanning. If a passenger is selected for scanning, and declines, they will not be permitted to fly. However, the Government has ruled out calls to select who is scanned on the basis of characteristics such as race or gender.
The push to introduce the scanners follows the Christmas Day attempted bombing on a flight to Detroit.
The scanners work by beaming electromagnetic waves onto passengers to create a 3D image, seen by a single security officer in a remote location.
The images are not stored. The scanners are likely to cost between £80,000 and £100,000 each.
A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said: "We are expecting to install scanners later this year."
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