Passengers at Frankfurt Airport can simply walk through a smart security scanner designed by test and measurement firm Rohde & Schwarz.

The QPS Walk2000 is designed to speed up security checks, and the first of these scanners is in use in Concourse A of Terminal One. Passengers simply walk through the scanner at a normal pace without stopping.

The test and evaluation phase is set to last up to six months and will provide airport owner Fraport and Rohde & Schwarz (www.rohde-schwarz.com) with information to help optimise the system.

The 360˚ walk-through scanner can detect all kinds of items quickly and contact-free. The scanner provides a more pleasant security experience: passengers do not have to stop to be scanned and can instead slowly walk through. The mm-wave technology can also penetrate multiple layers of clothing, making it unnecessary to remove jackets and coats, for example. This makes a big difference in terms of comfort and personal privacy when going through security.

Artificial intelligence (AI) detection software automatically identifies metallic and non-metallic objects. Any anomalies detected on passengers are accurately displayed in real time on a unisex avatar, reducing the need for follow-up checks. If, however, a check is needed, security staff can focus on the areas that have triggered an alarm instead of patting down the passenger.

The joint evaluation of the walk-through scanner at Frankfurt Airport is being carried out by the German Federal Police and Fraport. Fraport acquired and set up the QPS Walk2000, but it is the German Federal Police who are responsible for all security-related tests and will ultimately grant approval for use in day-to-day operations. The aim of the walk-through scanner is to make security checks faster and more comfortable for passengers while maintaining the same level of security.

The checkpoints selected for the test phase are in the Schengen Concourse A of Terminal One. This concourse is suitable for such a test due to its high foot traffic: on average, 15,000 passengers use this concourse every day.

The test phase at Frankfurt Airport aims to provide a direct comparison of the QPS Walk2000 and the tried and tested QPS201 scanners already installed and reveal any immediate differences. The collaborative trial installation aims to make walk-through security checks for passengers just as reliable as the checks provided by the QPS201.

Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, Fraport (www.fraport.de) is a major player in the global airport business. Its portfolio of companies spans four continents with activities at 29 airports worldwide. In pre-pandemic 2019, more than 182 million passengers used airports actively managed by Fraport. Impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Fraport’s airports welcomed only about 146 million passengers in 2022. Fraport generated revenue of €3.2bn and profit of some €167mn in 2022.