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Aviation security screening approved equipment list

Aviation security screening equipment must meet UK and international performance standards before it can be deployed and used operationally.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Transport
Published:
27 September 2013
Last updated:
5 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. Liquid explosive detection systems list altered.

  2. Threat image projection (TIP) library software updated.

  3. Liquid explosive detection systems list altered.

  4. Explosive detection systems list updated.

  5. Cabin baggage, aviation security and liquid explosive detection systems as well as security scanners information updated.

  6. Liquid explosive detection systems for aviation security and screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment updated.

  7. Threat image projection (TIP) library software updated.

  8. Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB) – C3 approvals updated.

  9. Liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) for aviation security and Screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment updated.

  10. Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB) – C3 approvals added.

  11. Liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) for aviation security and Screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment updated.

  12. Explosive detection systems (EDS), Liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) and Security scanners (SSc) for aviation security updated.

  13. Security scanners for aviation security information amended.

  14. Threat image projection (TIP) library software updated.

  15. Explosive trace detection (ETD) systems for aviation security updated.

  16. Updates added to explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB).

  17. Updates added to liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) for aviation security.

  18. Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage, explosive detection systems for aviation security and free running explosive detection dogs (FREDDs) updated.

  19. Updates added to explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB).

  20. Updates added to explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB), explosive detection systems (EDS) and liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) for aviation security.

  21. Updates to equipment approvals documents.

  22. Updates to: - Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB) - Security scanners (SSc) for aviation security

  23. Updates to the following pages: - Explosive detection systems (EDS) for aviation security - Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB) - Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security - Security scanners (SSc) for aviation security - Threat image projection (TIP) library software

  24. Updates to Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security page.

  25. Updates to the following pages: - Aviation security screening equipment exempt from DfT approval - Security scanners (SSc) for aviation security - Screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment - Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security - Explosive trace detection (ETD) systems for aviation security - Explosive detection systems (EDS) for aviation security - Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB)

  26. Updated equipment approvals documents.

  27. Updated explosive detection systems (EDS) for aviation security; screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment; explosive trace detection (ETD) systems for aviation security; and free running explosive detection dogs for aviation security.

  28. Updated explosive detection systems (EDS) for aviation security; screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment; explosive trace detection (ETD) systems for aviation security; and free running explosive detection dogs for aviation security.

  29. Updates to 'Explosive detection systems for aviation security', 'Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage', 'Liquid explosive detection systems for aviation security', 'Screening liquids less than 100ml: equipment', 'Security scanners for aviation security', 'Explosive trace detection systems for aviation security' and 'Free running explosive detection dogs for aviation security'.

  30. Updates to 'Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security'.

  31. Updates to 'Threat image projection (TIP) library software'.

  32. Updated Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security.

  33. Updates to screening liquids less than 100ml, free running explosive detection dogs for aviation security and threat image projection (TIP) library software.

  34. Updates to the equipment lists for approved explosive detection systems for aviation security and cabin baggage, liquid explosive detection systems for aviation security, approved security scanners, aviation explosive trace detection systems, and free-running explosive detection dogs.

  35. There have been updates to 'Explosive detection systems (EDS) for aviation security', 'Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD) for aviation security', 'Liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) for aviation security' and 'Explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB)',

  36. Addition of shoe explosive detection and shoe metal detection systems.

  37. Addition of explosive detection systems for cabin baggage plus removal of the threat image projection management software listing, the advanced cabin baggage for x-ray systems listing and the advanced cabin baggage x-ray liquid explosive systems listing.

  38. Updates to the equipment lists for approved explosive detection, liquid explosive detection, security scanners, explosive trace detection and small volume liquid explosive detection.

  39. Updates to 6 approved aviation security equipment lists and a new approved free running explosive detection dogs list published.

  40. New Threat image projection library software page added to collection page.

  41. List of approved aviation security screening equipment updated.

  42. New security screening equipment for security scanners (SSc) and liquid explosives detection systems (LEDS).

  43. Lists updated with security screening equipment approved in February 2016.

  44. Approved equipment list updated.

  45. Approved equipment list updated.

  46. First published.

How aviation security equipment is approved

Testing is undertaken in the UK and test centres within Europe that have been recognised by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).

Equipment list

Our lists cover approved equipment for:

  • people screening: security scanners (SSc), shoe explosive detection (SED), shoe metal detection (SMD) and explosive trace detection equipment (ETD)
  • hold baggage screening (HBS): explosive detection systems (EDS) and ETD
  • cabin baggage screening: explosive detection systems for cabin baggage (EDSCB), liquid explosive detection systems (LEDS) and ETD
  • cargo screening: ETD, cargo and mail metal detection (CMMD), EDS and free running explosive detection dogs (FREDD)
  • consumables: approved consumables for ETD
  • threat image projection (TIP) libraries: the library of images controlled and defined by the department

For further information email the DfT Research, Analysis and Development team.

A number of equipment types do not require specific Department for Transport approval before use, these include:

  • conventional X-ray equipment
  • cargo X-ray screening equipment
  • hand-held metal detectors (HHMD)
  • walk-through metal detectors (WTMD)

Baggage and cargo explosive screening

Trace explosive detection screening

Liquid explosive detection

People screening

Cargo and mail metal detection

Equipment exempt from our approval

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