New Delhi, April 10 — In a significant step towards enhancing aviation security, India’s first full-body scanner system was installed on a trial basis at Terminal 1D of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), New Delhi, on April 10, 2010.
The system, known as SmartCheck, was developed by American Science and Engineering (AS&E) and employed X-ray backscatter technology to detect concealed threats beneath clothing. The trial phase initially involved volunteer passengers only, and the scanning process took less than a minute, ensuring both efficiency and convenience.
This pioneering security measure marked India’s foray into advanced passenger screening technologies, in line with global best practices. While the system raised early privacy concerns due to its imaging method, the introduction laid the groundwork for the more privacy-conscious scanners used in airports today.
The trial helped security agencies evaluate the feasibility of integrating such technologies in India’s growing network of high-traffic airports, ushering in a new era of aviation security without compromising passenger flow.
