NO AIR passenger going through a controversial body scanner will have their “naked” image seen by someone of the opposite sex, the Government has pledged.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis moved to calm fears about the introduction of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), which Gordon Brown has insisted is vital to defeat terrorists.

There have been protests the images produced by electromagnetic waves which can see through clothing breach privacy rules and even child pornography laws.

When a trial got under way at Manchester Airport, a single operator viewed all the images, whether male or female, the transport select committee was told yesterday.

But Lord Adonis insisted a code of practice had toughened up guidelines before the scanners are introduced at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, and elsewhere.

He told MPs: “Any person selected for screening may request they are given a screen reader who is of the same sex as that person.”

Lord Adonis revealed how this week, two passengers at Manchester Airport refused to go through the scanner, which meant they were refused permission to fly – the first such cases.

But he strongly rejected suggestions the Government, rather than airport operators, should foot the bill for the scanners, because “terrorists attack states, not airlines”.

Each will cost between £80,000 and £100,000 – and a major airport, such as JLA, would need several to avoid huge delays in boarding.

Lord Adonis said: “They are different views held within Europe, but our position is very clear – airport operators pay for the installation and operation of security equipment.”

Earlier this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) ordered all airports to install the scanners before the summer holiday season, stating they must be in place “in the coming months”.