EU Approves Scanners: Will the Rule for Liquids in Hand Luggage Now Be Dropped?

For Austria, this means that in Vienna-Schwechat, the new scanners are expected to be operational by 2026. At other national airports, there is a more cautious approach, as a survey by APA on Friday revealed. It was often pointed out that the necessary renovations for the new scanners would also require significant investments.

Vienna-Schwechat Airport: New scanners coming in 2026

At Vienna Airport in Schwechat, the procurement process for CT scanners is underway, with a comprehensive rollout in all terminals planned to occur gradually over the course of 2026. An investment of 25 million euros will be made in the transition. Thanks to the new technology, liquids and electronic devices will no longer need to be removed from carry-on luggage. "The EU will continue to regulate which quantities of liquids are allowed in carry-on luggage," Vienna Airport stated.

New scanners likely to come to Salzburg with terminal reconstruction

Salzburg Airport, on the other hand, will not initially introduce the new scanners. The reason is an upcoming major project: "We are in the midst of planning for the new terminal, which is set to start in 2027," said airport spokesperson Alexander Klaus to APA. "It makes no sense to create space for the scanners before the renovation." The devices are too large to be simply moved from A to B later. Therefore, the introduction will happen with the completion of the new terminal - planned for 2030. He added: "We do not yet know the exact EU requirements or any transition periods. We must, of course, take this into account." At the same time, the question arises as to how quickly manufacturers can meet the needs. There are around 1,000 airports in Europe alone.

Graz Airport evaluates new scanners

At Graz Airport, the use of the scanner is being evaluated, but it is already clear that significant structural measures would need to be taken at the security checkpoint, said Managing Director Jürgen Löschnig in an APA interview on Friday. These would also be associated with costs. Graz is considered a small airport by international standards. Therefore, check-in times are already very short, Löschnig emphasized. For the time being, the 100-milliliter rule still applies at Graz Airport.

Linz Airport awaits experiences from Vienna-Schwechat

In Linz, the new scanners are indeed a topic, but as a regional airport, they want to wait and see what experiences Vienna Airport has before making a decision, it was said at Linz Airport. The acquisition of the devices is not only expensive, but the large scanners would also mean structural changes. Therefore, the 100-milliliter limit for liquids in carry-on luggage still applies there for the time being.

Innsbruck: Large Investments for New Scanners Necessary

At Innsbruck Airport, they are still somewhat reserved. "It is still too early to say anything about it," explained spokeswoman Nicole Kehle to the APA. However, if the whole thing really becomes a permanent regulation, it will "definitely be a topic" in Innsbruck as well. Kehle also pointed out that while large airports already have such scanners, they are not used "across the board" even there, such as in Munich. In this context, the spokeswoman also referred to the "large investments" necessary for the acquisition of such scanners.

Klagenfurt Plans to Retrofit in the Medium Term

In the medium term, a corresponding retrofit is also planned at Klagenfurt Airport. This was communicated by an airport spokeswoman in response to an APA inquiry.

Please Wait in Germany

In Germany, the end of the 100-milliliter container rule is likely to take a little longer, even though the corresponding scanners have long been available. The reason is that there are still old devices, and travelers cannot yet be informed in advance about which scanner they will pass through for security checks. Additionally, some new devices lack the correct software. Therefore, it will continue to apply that passengers may only carry liquids in containers with a volume of up to 100 milliliters - and these must be packed in a resealable transparent plastic bag with a maximum capacity of up to one liter.

Technology for Scanners Known from Medicine

The technology for so-called CT scanners is well-known from imaging in medicine. They are based on computer tomography. Passengers who have already been in a CT themselves need not fear that the security check will now take ten minutes or longer per piece of luggage. The 3D imaging allows for very rapid analyses of devices and liquids, which are much more accurate than conventional 2D methods, by the impact of X-rays from many different angles on the object being examined. For passengers, this means: Electronic devices no longer need to be removed from their containers, and the 100-milliliter rule is at least theoretically obsolete. Furthermore, the CT scanners would lead to a significant increase in capacity. Overall, waiting times for air travelers should decrease.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.