Suvarnabhumi finds no airport role in passenger’s opened-baggage complaint

Suvarnabhumi Airport has found no evidence that its security screening staff opened a passenger’s checked baggage after a complaint raised concerns over a new rule allowing bags to be inspected without their owners present.

The airport investigated after the Facebook page “Benz pa pai Journey” reported on October 19 that a passenger’s baggage showed signs of having been opened and searched.

The passenger had travelled on Hainan Airlines flight HU424 from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chongqing on October 19.

Airport officials reviewed the baggage-screening system, operational records and closed-circuit television footage from the relevant areas.

The check found that the baggage had passed through normal security screening and that the system had detected no prohibited items or objects considered dangerous to the aircraft. No additional physical inspection was therefore required.

The bag was subsequently transported by the automated system to the baggage make-up area under normal procedures.

Suvarnabhumi Airport said its review found no evidence that airport screening staff had opened the bag during the process.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) separately confirmed that preliminary checks found no link between the incident and the new baggage-inspection rules that took effect on October 16. Further information from other parties involved in handling the baggage would be needed to establish how it came to be opened.

The airport said baggage transport, sorting and loading after the security-screening process are handled by airlines and the ground-handling companies they appoint.

It advised the passenger to lodge a complaint with the airline so that it could coordinate further checks with the relevant ground handler. The passenger could also make a police report to provide supporting evidence for the investigation.

Under the new CAAT rules, security personnel are authorised to open checked baggage without the passenger or owner being present when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that prohibited or potentially dangerous items are inside.

CAAT stressed that the measure does not permit routine opening of every checked bag. Inspections may take place only under prescribed aviation-security procedures when further examination is warranted. The rules took effect on October 16.

When a bag is physically opened for inspection, the process must be recorded on video so that it can later be reviewed. A Notice of Baggage Inspection must also be placed inside the bag to inform the passenger that it was opened as part of the security process.

Suvarnabhumi Airport advised passengers to check their baggage before travelling and ensure that checked luggage does not contain prohibited items. Valuables, important documents and essential belongings should be carried in cabin baggage in accordance with airline requirements, while passengers are also advised to use appropriate baggage locks.

The airport said it would continue to cooperate with the relevant parties and provide information within its authority as the circumstances surrounding the passenger’s baggage are investigated further.