FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 mandated that 100 percent of aviation checked baggage be screened by electronic or other approved means. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) overseas the Electronic Baggage Screening Program (EBSP), which is partly responsible for the purchase and installation of security technologies at airports—including EDS machines.

U.S. Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) and U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration asking to immediately deploy additional Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) machines to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).

“We write today to request the immediate deployment of additional Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) machines to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). As you know, EDS machines are vital to an airport’s bag check operation. To expeditiously and accurately check for luggage-related safety threats, EDS machines are crucial—and RSW needs two more EDS machines to handle the upcoming influx of Southwest Florida tourists.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Administrator Pekoske:

We write today to request the immediate deployment of additional Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) machines to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). As you know, EDS machines are vital to an airport’s bag check operation. To expeditiously and accurately check for luggage-related safety threats, EDS machines are crucial—and RSW needs two more EDS machines to handle the upcoming influx of Southwest Florida tourists.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 mandated that 100 percent of aviation checked baggage be screened by electronic or other approved means. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) overseas the Electronic Baggage Screening Program (EBSP), which is partly responsible for the purchase and installation of security technologies at airports—including EDS machines. Currently, there are approximately 1,665 EDS machines within TSA’s Checked Baggage fleet, and the immediate deployment of two new EDS machines to RSW should be manageable and feasible. Although RSW isn’t the biggest airport in terms of area, EDS machines should be distributed to the airports that need the technology the most.

Moreover, a record-breaking 5,126,597 total passengers flew in-and-out of RSW in 2022. Coupled with the fact that this number is anticipated to increase in the future, providing two additional EDS machines to RSW should be a top priority for TSA as peak tourist season quickly approaches. After all, if one of the two remaining EDS machines at RSW goes down, RSW will only have one operational EDS machine to scan luggage for security threats. In turn this will negatively impact the effectiveness and efficiency of RSW airport operations, and increase the risk of a security threat during peak travel in Southwest Florida.

RSW was ranked the number one airport in the United States in 2022, according to the Travel Lens USA Airport Report. A few of the reasons for RSW’s prestigious nation-wide airport ranking include: (1) the average wait time at RSW was only 16 minutes; (2) RSW had the nation’s fourth highest passenger satisfaction rating; and (3) RSW maintained high passenger satisfaction even though it’s the second-busiest single-runway airport in America. Therefore, the lack of operational EDS machines may negatively hamper the safe and efficient movement of passengers that made RSW America’s top airport—this is unacceptable.

We look forward to working with TSA to secure the immediate deployment of additional EDS machines to RSW. Respectfully, we request a status update on the deployment of such EDS machines and your estimated timeframe in which TSA will deploy the requested EDS machines to RSW. Thank you.

Sincerely,

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