Airports across the country have stepped up security measures in response to last weekend’s bomb scare at the Beijing Airport. Passengers are being advised to leave extra time to account for the enhanced security checks.
In addition to SWAT officers being deployed to the capital’s airport, explosive checks are being carried out at both the arrival and departure halls, with security personnel swiping palm-sized testing paper on passengers’ luggage.
Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao international airports have been checking for explosives at exits and entrances since Sunday, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority, which operates the airports.
“It’s a spot check not only for the departure floor, but also the arrival floor — you’d be checked even if you’re in the airport to pick up friends,” said a staff member of the Pudong International Airport’s inspection center who declined to give his name.
Shi Daoxiong, spokesman for Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co, operator of Shenzhen Baoan International Airport, said the inspection only takes a few seconds.
“The inspection is a regular part of instructions from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. We used to run the check three days every month,” he said.
Shi still advises passengers to arrive at the airport about half an hour earlier.
Starting on Monday, passengers at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Hainan province have to go through extra security checks at the entrances of domestic and international terminals, the airport said on Monday morning.
Some entrances will be closed temporarily, and all others will be for one-way traffic, the Sanya airport said.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China required beefing up security measures, the airport said, reminding passengers to arrive ahead of time.
Source: China Daily
