A 5-month-old Smiths-Detection CTX 5800 Checked Luggage Scanner installed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), which had stopped working, is currently being looked at with the aim of getting it up and running. This is according to the administration of the CJIA in a release to the media on Saturday.
The release stated that the scanner, which costs $290M, had reportedly shut down on September 11, 2021 after displaying a system error, and became inoperable.
“The supplier and manufacturer were immediately contacted for technical support. After consultation, a decision was taken to have a Smith’s-Detection Engineer fly into Guyana to conduct diagnostic tests”, the statement read.
Currently, corrective works are underway, and are expected to be completed shortly, the CJIA added.
As such, passengers’ bags are being screened via the “redundant” security scanners at the airport.
The CTX 5800 Luggage Scanner was commissioned in May this year, along with other screening equipment. It has built-in state-of-the-art technology and was funded by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation with support of the Government.
The scanner helps to detect threats to civil aviation in an effective manner, and aids law enforcement in their fight against narco-trafficking at Guyana’s main port of entry.
The CTX 5800 explosive trace detection scanner is Transportation Security Administration (TSA) certified and ECAC standard three approved.
It is a computer tomography-based system which uses a single X-ray generator to provide high-resolution 3D images for quick and accurate threats, making it ideal for airports such as CJIA.
Over 2000 of the CTX scanners are currently installed and in operation throughout the Caribbean and in North and Latin America.
