Airport security headache as tonne of blades seized in month

ONE tonne of items such as swords, hatchets and entire canteens of cutlery have been confiscated from passengers departing Irish airports in just one month.

Between 400 and 900 kilos are confiscated every month at Aer Rianta airports in Cork, Shannon and Dublin and the problem is getting worse. Camping gas canisters, chef’s knives, corkscrews and scissors are other common items which have been picked up by airport X-ray machines. Enhanced security measures have been operating at all the main airports in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US. Nonetheless, passengers flying through Irish airports are causing a greater frequency of security headaches for Aer Rianta staff.

“The problem is getting worse,” an Aer Rianta spokesperson said. “Very often we find people who are going on self-catering holidays will insist on taking cutlery and kitchen utensils like chef’s knives with them. Corkscrews, the ones which feature an attached blade, are also very common.”

Airport X-ray machines have detected swords, a hatchet and full canteens of cutlery. Camping gas canisters are also frequently confiscated. One passenger at Dublin Airport told security staff it was her seventh time being pulled up for carrying a scissors.

“Recently as many as 10 scissors have been identified in hand luggage at a single X-ray machine in a five-minute period at Dublin Airport, resulting in these items being confiscated.” the spokesperson said. “In one record month a little under one metric tonne of items were confiscated.”

These security alerts caused unnecessary delays and queues for passengers, she said, and most confiscated items are destroyed. “They are smelted down in an environmentally-friendly manner,” she said.