US President Barack Obama is awaiting reports on security lapses that enabled a Nigerian man to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives strapped to his underpants, and the focus is now on how to prevent a similar incident from happening again. A leading aviation expert told Radio Netherlands Worldwide he expects body scanners to soon be introduced worldwide.

Listen to an interview with independent aviation security analyst Chris Yates

The Netherlands and Nigeria were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the first countries to announce yesterday they will be using body scanning machines on passengers taking international flights. The Dutch government said the measures will be introduced or all air travel to and from the US within three weeks. Airline security analyst Chris Yates says he expects other countries to follow suit.

“I think one would hope body scanning is a  measure that’s introduced fairly extensively at major international airports where high-risk flights operate. We keep our fingers crossed that’s going to be the case – of course every nation state looks at airport security in a different way.”

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, is accused of trying to blow up a Northwest airlines plane with 290 people on board on Christmas day using a device sown into his underwear. He started his journey in the Nigerian city of Abuja, transferring to the Airbus A330 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport where he was not required to go through one of the 15 body scanners already available there.

Improve passenger safety
Dutch Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst said yesterday the scanners will: “significantly improve passenger security as the machines can  detect non-metal objects,” but said they will be used in such a way that there is no infringement of privacy.

The machines cost up to 150,000 euros and share prices have already risen for the four major security firms that manufacture them. They are ten times more expensive than the metal detectors currently used at major airports.

Travellers will bear the cost
Chris Yates says although governments normally require airports and airlines to pay for necessary security measures, passengers will eventually end up bearing the cost. But he doesn’t think it will put people off flying:

“Ultimately, of course, the cost of body scanning will be passed on to passengers in some form of security tax or addition to the security tax one normally pays when flying anywhere these days… [But] we’re a stoical bunch as travellers and these issues do crop up from to time to time when new security restrictions temporarily have an impact on whatever our travel plans are. But we fairly quickly adapt… and it doesn’t necessarily dampen our spirit for traveling.”