When security at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is adequately staffed (and not leaving travelers queuing for four-plus hours), it is one of the smoothest in Europe. CT scanners allow passengers to keep both liquids and electronics in their hand luggage, eliminating plenty of fiddling about with plastic bags and laptop cases. Meanwhile, the airport, eager to reestablish its reputation following last summer, is looking to invest in more new technology to speed up security.The Royal Schiphol Group announced on Monday it had begun a collaboration with security technology company Pangiam to develop a new way to screen hand baggage using artificial intelligence. The technology will use algorithms to analyze images of hand luggage and identify prohibited items and other security risks. Ideally, this will assist airport security staff and speed up the process further.Philip van Noort, Director Security at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, commented on the move towards AI-supported security checks,

"We are fully committed to recruiting security colleagues and have been increasing the productivity of our security equipment recently, of course without compromising on the quality of security. In the future, this collaboration can contribute to more comfort for travellers thanks to secure and faster hand baggage screening. Safety always remains our priority."

Project DARTMOUTH, as it is called, has already been trialed by Glasgow and Aberdeen Airports. Artificial intelligence and machine learning models have been trained to detect prohibited items in real time as bags pass through scanning equipment.

Hoping to speed up security

However, Amsterdam Schiphol is the first major European airport to launch the technology, which is supported by Google Cloud. It will first be tested on a smaller scale. Given successful trials and meeting all the requirements, including European regulations, it will be rolled out across the operation.

The aim of the collaboration is to explore how Pangiam's new technology can improve and speed up hand baggage screening at Schiphol and other airports.

Royal Schiphol Group also owns Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Lelystad Airport and has a majority stake in Eindhoven Airport. Furthermore, the project is part of Amsterdam Schiphol's broader program to accelerate innovation and development of both in-house and partner technology.

Last year, Simple Flying sat down with KLM's Senior Manager for Radical Innovation to talk about the importance of mindset and ecosystem approaches. You can find the interview here.

Alexis Long, Head of Project DARTMOUTH at Pangiam, stated,

"Royal Schiphol Group has an international reputation for innovation and excellence in technology. This collaboration allows us to bring the benefits of artificial intelligence to the security checkpoint and improve the process."

How do you feel about artificial intelligence supporting the screening of luggage at the airport? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts about where the future of airport operations is heading.