If you have a trip scheduled from La Aurora International Airport (AILA)you will find a change in security controls. From August 1passengers They will no longer have to take off their shoes to go through the inspection filters, a measure that seeks to speed up the entrance to boarding rooms without reducing safety standards.
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) reported that the decision responds to a risk assessment and will reduce the screening time for each traveler.
Who should take off their shoes?
The elimination of this requirement will not apply in all cases. The DGAC indicated that some passengers must still remove their footwear when:
- They are selected randomly, in accordance with security protocols.
- Detection equipment issues an alert.
- Wear bulky footwear that prevents proper inspection.
According to the institution, the new procedure will allow savings up to one minute and 30 seconds per passenger, which will help reduce lines and speed up the flow at inspection points.
The authorities also recommended using comfortable and light footwearas it will facilitate the process when additional review is necessary.
What controls are still in force at La Aurora Airport?
Although it will no longer be mandatory to generally remove shoes, travelers will continue to go through the usual security checks before boarding an international flight.
At the main inspectionhe hand luggage is reviewed by x-ray scannersseveral of them equipped with artificial intelligence to detect prohibited objects or suspicious densities.
Passengers must also pass through body scanners or metal detectors to verify that they are not carrying hidden objects.
In addition, it is still mandatory to remove from the bags and place in the inspection trays:
- Laptops, tablets and other large electronic devices.
- Jackets, coats or thick outerwear.
- Belts, keys, coins, watches and other metal objects.
- Liquids and gels that must be inspected in accordance with airport regulations.
The DGAC recalled that they can also be carried out additional or random inspections by airport security personnel when protocols require it.
The other controls that a traveler faces before boarding
In addition to the security filter, passengers leaving Guatemala continue to go through other mandatory controls.
One of them is the immigration controlwhere the Guatemalan Migration Institute verifies the passport, travel documentation and officially registers the departure of the country.
Later, some travelers may be selected for a random anti-narcotics inspectioncarried out by specialized agents of the National Civil Police (PNC)who can manually search carry-on luggage or use canine units before boarding.
The DGAC stated that the change in the inspection protocol is part of the actions to modernize the services of the country’s main airport, maintaining national and international safety standards.
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