Israel to use new airport scanning system

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 5 (UPI) -- Trials for a new automated baggage security system is set for trial at Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport, officials said.

The system is expected to cut down on long passenger lines at the terminal where travelers wait to undergo security checks, and will give passengers more time before boarding flights, a Channel 2 report said Tuesday. It will also eliminate the need for security personnel to search the bags of Arab travelers in public.

It is unclear when the system will become operational.

Luggage will be dispatched on conveyor belts to an underground site where it will undergo scanning before being loaded aboard planes, the report said.

The new scanning system is designed to identify explosives and other suspect items. Any suspicious luggage will undergo additional screening. If still not cleared, the suspect items will be placed to one side and the owners prevented from boarding, the report said.

Airport officials plan to test the system Friday on 5,000 suitcases at Terminal 3. During the process, passengers will be diverted to another terminal, the report said.