The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
SHANNON has nine new Airport Screening Unit officers, who received their official certificates after completing an intense training course in airport security.
The new officers have undergone training, which included the operation of the airport’s multimillion euro state-of-the-art 3D x-ray screening system.
The high-tech system has in-built explosive detection software, which eliminates the need for passengers to separate liquids and electronics from their cabin bags. Shannon is the first state airport to introduce this new technology which halves the time spent going through screening.
Since March this year, the airport has recruited a total of 19 ASU officers to add to its existing team.
The new recruits hail from various parts of Clare as well as from Galway, Lithuania, Poland, and as far away as Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Welcoming the latest nine recruits to the team, Shannon Airport’s Head of Security John Francis said, “I would like to congratulate our latest group of newly trained ASU officers, and thank lead Instructor Jean Moloney who was supported by her colleagues, the screening supervisors, for the fantastic training they’ve given our new team members.
“We are committed to making our passenger’s journey at Shannon Airport, as easy as possible. The new recruits have undergone intensive training in all aspects of airport security to prepare them for this extremely important role, as we continue to invest in our screening process.
“Our team work across the unit, from greeting passengers and checking boarding cards, to analysing x-rays of baggage on our highly advanced system and guiding passengers as they begin to go through the security process.
“They also work with our colleagues from US Pre-Clearance, at our combined US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check point system. Shannon is the only airport in the world to operate this combined US/EU checkpoint system, again eliminating an additional step in our passengers’ journey.”
The training process includes both classroom based and practical learning, followed by final examinations and certification by the Irish Aviation Authority.
ASU training covers a wide range of areas including, hand search of cabin baggage and of the person, screening of vehicles, identifying prohibited items, screening inflight and airport supplies, as well as customer service, reduced mobility, and familiarisation training in the airport’s special needs programme.
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
