Pulkovo Airport buys manual X-ray scanners for screening passengers worth millions of rubles

The administration of Pulkovo Airport on September 25, 2024 announced the purchase of 20 manual metal detectors with the function of detecting radioactive materials of the VM-611 RD-2.0 OKO model. This decision was made against the background of the lack of working stationary X-ray installations in the terminal of domestic flights, which have not been operated for almost a year.

According to the Business News Agency, the airport management, headed by Leonid Sergeyev, initiated the process of purchasing manual scanners, despite the fact that stationary X-ray installations in the domestic flight terminal have not been functioning since January 1, 2024 due to new certification requirements.

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According to the terms of the purchase, the supply of manual scanners should be carried out by October 1, 2024, while the acceptance of applications from potential suppliers will last until October 3, 2024. A special condition of the contract is a delay in payment for 30 calendar days.

The cost of one such hand scanner on the market is about ₽90 thousand. Thus, the total purchase amount can reach ₽1,8 million, which is about a quarter of the cost of one stationary installation for screening passengers.

The situation with inspection equipment in Pulkovo raises questions from passengers and industry specialists. Stationary X-ray installations, which have been in operation since the renovated terminal was opened, were decommissioned in early 2024 due to a change in certification requirements.

The publication of September 26, 2024 notes that the airport operator, Air Gate of the Northern Capital LLC, has been searching for new suppliers of stationary equipment for nine months, but so far it has not been possible to install new scanners. In this regard, passenger screening is carried out using alternative methods, including the framework of metal detectors.^[1]

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