Two police dogs help inspect luggage and boxes suspected of containing explosives and inflammable substances at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo by Zheng Caixiong / China Daily]

Police dogs and robots are helping to prevent explosives and inflammable substances from reaching planes in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport during the Spring Festival travel rush, according to police. 

The two police dogs, which are now on 24-hour standby, have helped inspect more than 60 pieces of luggage and boxes suspected of containing explosives and inflammable substances since the travel rush began on Feb 1, said Jian Lian, deputy director of the special police force with the Airport Public Security Bureau under the Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security, on Monday. 

“Operation of the airport has been safe and normal so far thanks to the police dogs and the introduction of the robots and other high-tech equipment used in the airport to inspect for explosives, inflammable substances, controlled knives and other products that are banned onboard planes,” Jian said. 

Three suspected escaped criminals who were on the police wanted list have been detained in the airport since the start of the month and no cases of theft have been reported in the airport shuttle buses so far, Jian said. 

The police dogs are used initially when police officers and security guards find suspicious packages. 

“Robots and other high-tech equipment are used to help remove and handle the explosives and inflammable substances when the police dogs have found luggage and boxes containing them,” Jian said. 

It is the first time that police dogs have been used to ensure security and safety in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, one of the three busiest aviation hubs in the Chinese mainland, during the travel rush period, he added. 

According to airport authorities, more than 15,100 flights have taken off and landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the first 11 days of the month, up 3.2 percent year-on-year. And about 2.1 million passengers have passed through the airport, an increase of 2.5 percent compared with the same period last year.