Brasília – One of the measures to increase security at Brazil’s airports that are part of a plan announced by the federal government is to photograph the luggage of passengers traveling abroad.
In an interview with radio show A Voz do Brasil of the Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), Ports and Airports minister Márcio França said the passenger will later have access to the photo.
“We want the [airport] cameras to photograph each luggage before boarding. On the flight, they will receive a WhatsApp message [with images] of their bag photographed that could be used later to prove which bag they had,” he explained.
Other measures include the installation of x-rays and body scanners, cameras in the check-in area, the use of liquid and explosive detectors, and restrictions on the use of cell phones by employees in some areas of the terminals. “Some of the organized crime people blackmail those [working in the inner area of airports]. Without a cell phone, they are left without this connection,” he said.
The measures will be implemented first at the Guarulhos Airport, Brazil’s largest. Expected investment is BRL 40 million [USD 8 million]. In a second stage, the minister said, the measures will be adopted in other international airports in Brazil, then to all terminals across the country.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda