British travellers are likely to be subjected to more stringent security checks and may face longer queues at airports in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death. The authorities have expressed fears that his killing could result in terrorist reprisals. Airport scanners capable of capturing full-body images could now be rolled out to airports across the country. They are presently being used at Manchester, Birmingham and Heathrow and have been condemned by civil liberties campaigners for their ability to produce ‘nude’ images of passengers.

The EU’s plans to relax rules on carrying liquids into aircraft cabins are also likely to be put on hold as airlines increase their security measures. Airport, airline and pilots’ leaders have called on the government to become less politically correct in targeting potential terrorists.

Sir Martin Broughton, British Airways’ chairman, last month condemned the policy of treating all passengers’ equally. He said there was little to be gained by submitting an airline pilot to exactly the same checks as someone who had come from a high risk country like Yemen.

Jim McAuslan of the British Airline Pilots’ Association supported Sir Martin saying that profiling a passenger based on their travel plans, background, age and origin would be far more effective than subjecting everyone to the same checks.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, has told UK embassies that a review of security was needed and that the international terrorist threat should mean heightened vigilance. The State Department in the US has also warned American embassies to be prepared for possible reprisals following the Al Qaeda leader’s death.