Gatwick Airport has opened a new security area as part of its transformation of the North Terminal, following successful implementation of the technology in the South Terminal.

The £36 million project is a major part of the airport’s growth strategy as investment in the state-of-the-art facility will halve the time it takes passengers to pass through security, while maintaining the strictest security measures, and allows Gatwick to screen up to 5,000 passengers per hour.

Phase One of the project was completed in February this year, with five new security lanes, and the final phase is now complete as a further five lanes are open for passengers to use.

Each lane has seven ‘loading points’, reducing queue times and increasing the number of passengers able to prepare their belongings for the screening process at any one time.

There are also dedicated lanes for premium travellers, families and passengers with reduced mobility.

On entrance to the security area, passengers will now pass through a set of 17 new e-gates, which will also help to reduce the build-up of queues and speed up the process of passing through security.

Gatwick recently surpassed the 40 million passengers per year milestone, more than ten years ahead of predictions.

Peter Lederer, head of security at Gatwick, said: “This state-of-the-art facility is the culmination of several years of planning and development and provides us with some of the most sophisticated airport security measures in the world.

“Direct feedback from both security staff and passengers was taken on board when designing the technology to ensure it provides the safest and most efficient
experience possible.

“This facility will ensure we are able to screen 95 per cent of our passengers through security within five minutes.”

Behind the complex operations of a working terminal building, a 24/7 construction site has been managed with major projects being carried out with minimal disruption to the 150,000 passengers who pass through Gatwick’s terminal buildings every day.

After the summer, the project moves to the departure lounge, where Gatwick will be investing to create a world-class new space in the North Terminal.