Heathrow airport is to trial a number of technologies
designed to detect passengers’ temperatures as it continues to call for the
development of an international standard for safe flying when travel
restrictions are lifted.
According to the airport, the trials will assess the medical
effectiveness, passenger response and suitability for the airport environment
of each technology. Systems to be tested include UV sanitation, facial
recognition thermal screening technology and contactless security procedures.
A temperature screening technology will be the subject of
the first trial taking place in the airport’s immigration halls at Terminal 2
within the next two weeks. If successful, the equipment will be rolled our to
departures, connections and colleague search areas.
Temperature checks were implemented following previous
outbreaks of SARS and Ebola, with some countries now using the technology as a
control measure against Covid-19.
Data collected from the trials will be shared with the
government and aviation industry to “jumpstart” the creation of common
international standards for health screening.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Aviation is the
cornerstone of the UK economy, and to restart the economy the government needs
to help restart aviation. The UK has the world’s third-largest aviation sector offering
the platform for the government to take a lead in agreeing a common
international standard for aviation health with our main trading partners. This
standard is key to minimising transmission of Covid-19 across borders, and the
technology we are trialling at Heathrow could be part of the solution.”
Heathrow’s announcement comes as IATA said biosecurity
measures such as temperature screening for passengers, airport workers and
airline staff could be one of several measures implemented to limit the spread
of the coronavirus during air travel.