With the threat of attack or, worse, terrorist attacks, passenger safety at the airport is a top priority for airlines and airport authorities. However, it is not just passengers who need protection, but also staff and valuable equipment. FLIR Systems SR-100 thermal imaging cameras help raise the level of security at Copenhagen Airport to an unprecedented level. Founded in 1925, Copenhagen Airport was one of the first civilian airports in the world. Today, Copenhagen Airport is the largest airport in Scandinavia not only by total number of passengers, but also by international traffic, number of long-haul flights and total number of destinations. In 2006, the airport welcomed more than 20.9 million passengers. Situated in the center of Scandinavia, with the most developed road network and the highest population density in the region, Copenhagen Airport is the logical choice for all passengers traveling to and from Scandinavia. Copenhagen Airport covers an area of 12.4 km with a 30 km long fence. Adequately monitoring such a large area is a huge challenge. In addition to CCTV cameras, internal and external vehicle and foot patrols provide 24-hour surveillance. More than 700 trained people, police officers and other personnel ensure the safety of passengers during their travel.
Monitoring the Critical Area of the Limited Security Zone
“We monitor the entire airport area closely, but we pay special attention to the Critical Area of the Limited Security Zone (CSRA),” explains Frank Christensen, Head of Department, Copenhagen Airport Security Centre.
This area includes all buildings that passengers have access to, the embarkation/disembarkation piers and the aircraft parking areas.
We have space for 108 aircraft, so the total area to monitor is huge. Everyone who enters the CSRA must first be checked.
No one and nothing can leave this area without the security center knowing.
One of the problems we have encountered is the proximity of the runway to the CSRA.
Aircraft leaving the pier for the departure area, a landing aircraft enters the CSRA from the «unprotected» area.
Therefore, we closely monitor all entries and exits to and from the CSRA using various types of sensors and ground radar.
Moreover, any airport or airline personnel entering or leaving the area must notify us.
Even though the ground radar and sensors alert us if something happens, we cannot see it.
So when someone or something enters the CSRA, we also monitor all activities using cameras to keep abreast of what is happening.
During the day, it is very easy to monitor objects.
However, at night, regular cameras cannot show us anything.
It is not possible to illuminate the entire CSRA area, as we cannot put lights everywhere.
They would interfere with the taxiing of aircraft. However, when an alarm is triggered, we want to see what is happening.
In search of a solution, we began to look into thermal imaging,” says Mr. Christensen.
Thermal imaging: a solution for night surveillance
“We were very pleased with the first demonstrations of FLIR Systems thermal imaging.
We immediately realized that they would greatly improve the effectiveness of our security system.
We were impressed by their clear images in the darkest night, in unlit areas, allowing us to monitor objects freely.
The ability to see in complete darkness is very useful for security services. Especially in Scandinavia, where daylight hours are very short in winter.»
After careful consideration, Copenhagen Airport decided to install FLIR Systems SR-100 thermal imaging cameras.
«We chose the SR-100 for its long range.
With a 100mm lens, they can detect objects more than 1.5km away,” explains Christensen.
Another advantage is the uncooled detector.
With this, the downtime is close to zero – we need to be sure that the camera can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
The thermal imagers were mounted on a standard pan-tilt mount from Praecisionsteknik, the distributor of FLIR Systems’ security and surveillance products in Denmark.
“We needed cameras on a pan-tilt platform,” Christensen continues. “When an alarm is triggered by ground radar or other sensors, we can immediately point the camera in the right direction.
That way we can see what triggered the alarm and, if necessary, we can track the object with a thermal imager.”
Easy integration is key to success “While we were very pleased with the first demonstration of the FLIR thermal imaging cameras, one of the main factors in our decision was the integration of the cameras into our existing security system,” says Klaus Hallstrom, a programmer at Copenhagen Airport.
“There are over 200 surveillance cameras at the airport, and the thermal imaging cameras needed to be integrated into the same network.”
FLIR Systems thermal imaging cameras, like all our other cameras, are PelcoD compatible, making them easy to integrate into our existing PelcoD network. For installation, we had to remove some of the regular cameras and install the thermal imaging cameras in their place. The entire job took about 2 hours.»
Thermal Imaging: Beyond Expectations
«Now that the SR-100 thermal imaging cameras are working, they are doing more than we expected! They can monitor well-lit areas, they do not overexpose themselves under any circumstances, and they produce a crisp image that allows you to see even the smallest details. They are also a great help in bad weather conditions like fog, when regular surveillance cameras can’t help.
Sometimes thermal imagers give us additional information.
First of all, they can show temperature differences.
For example, by pointing the SR-100 at a car, you can immediately see whether it has been standing for a long time or has just arrived.
A car with a warm engine looks completely different in the image than a car with a cold engine.
Thermal imaging has proven itself at Copenhagen Airport.
With it, our airport has become much safer than before,” Christensen concludes.