Detailed airport guideEverything is for the safety of passengers

Many passengers may think it is burdensome to undergo security screening before boarding an aircraft.

Why, in the first place, do you need to undergo security screening? Please stop and think about it.

Among the 300 people who are on board the aircraft with you, isn’t there someone who has a weapon or dangerous goods?

Can you say that there are no explosives in the cargo compartment?

You can’t tell the history of aircraft without mentioning the history of combating hijacking and terrorism.

Do you know that in the past, securing screening of passengers or checked baggage was not conducted?

There was a time when security screening was not conducted at all as in the case of other transportation means.

From the 1970s, hijacking incidents took place around the world, and in response to this, security screening before boarding aircraft started to be conducted.

Hijacking can be prevented by conducting security screening of passengers strictly, so countries began to thoroughly conduct security screening.

In Japan as well, security screening of passengers and carry-on baggage started in 1973.

However, in the 1980s, the trend shifted from hijacking to terrorism committed by planting explosives in checked baggage.

The airline industry was quick to respond. From around this time, screening of all checked baggage started, instead of sample inspection.

In 1985, there was an incident at Narita Airport in which checked baggage exploded at the cargo handling area and two workers were killed.

After that, incidents in which explosives were planted in checked baggage took place around the world

At Narita Airport, screening of all checked baggage started in 1990.

In 2000s, a series of terrorist attacks took place in USA.

In the wake of this terrorist incident, security screening of passengers and checked baggage began to be conducted more strictly, accurately and appropriately than before. Coupled with technological innovation of security screening devices, safety has been enhanced dramatically.

Narita Airport has an inline screening system, which is a baggage conveying system with one of the most advanced security functions among those introduced at airports around the world.

Checked baggage is brought to aircraft by the baggage handling system using barcodes. The inline screening system is the baggage handling system that incorporates an explosive detection system.

This explosive detection system can secure a higher level of security than conventional planer X-ray inspection.

The system can automatically detect explosives by rotating 360 degrees around baggage and applying X rays to it sequentially. In a word, the system has a mechanism similar to CT scanning. This system has dramatically improved the discovery of explosives and other dangerous goods contained in baggage.

Thus, Narita Airport secures a high level of security by taking various measures, e.g., assignment of a dedicated watchman for each airplane on the apron and standing security guards at the cargo shed adjacent to the apron, and security operation in the terminal buildings and areas around the airport, in addition to security screening of passengers, carry-on baggage and check-in baggage.

Everything is for the safety of passengers

The term “security screening” may make you think that you are subject to screening or you have to be screened. But why don’t you change your mindset and think that the airplane you are going to board is safe because all passengers undergo the same screening as you do and this is a great added value for the use of aircraft.

Undergoing security screening properly is in turn for your own benefit.

The airline industry makes earnest efforts to ensure safety, which you can’t see, by incurring a lot of costs and labor.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.