The Hague--The scanners, at 150,000 euros (216,000 dollars) apiece, will be installed at Schiphol "in the coming months", spokeswoman Mirjam Snoerwang told AFP.

The 60 are in addition to 15 full-body scanners already installed at the airport, which work on sound wave technology and which have been used for US-bound flights for the past three years.

"Following the incident on the Detroit-bound flight it was decided to increase the number of scanners to cover all flights," Snoerwang said.

A statement quoted group president Jos Nijhuis as saying the step was taken on instruction of the National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, a government organ.

Nijhuis said that passengers to destinations other than the United States are not routinely searched, reacting to claims that a journalist managed to take a hypodermic syringe on board a flight from Schiphol to London.

"That we are now described in some English newspapers as 'terror airport' is completely unwarranted," he said.

AFP/ Expatica