Thanks to computer tomography: airport abolishes liquids limit
The 100-millilitre limit for liquids in hand luggage is a thing of the past. At least in Helsinki. Thanks to new technology, luggage can be checked more efficiently. Electronic devices are also allowed to remain in the bag.
At Helsinki Airport in Finland, you are now allowed to take more liquids in your hand luggage. This was announced by the airport company "Finavia". Employees now check hand luggage using computer tomography (CT) technology.
Until now, CT was used in a medical context. It was mainly used for head injuries. This allowed doctors to make a more precise diagnosis. But items of luggage can also be x-rayed using CT. This is much faster and more accurate than before.
The CT technology algorithms also analyse certain properties of a material. This allows employees to know whether a bottle contains cola or liquid explosives. Three-dimensional views of an object are displayed on the screen. Your luggage is scrutinised layer by layer.
Advantage: you will no longer have to take your electronic devices out of your bag. Despite this precise check, everything should be faster. CT technology takes much less time to take images and perform checks than X-ray technology.
When will this technology come to Switzerland?
The rules on liquids currently apply in Helsinki. You can take up to two litres of liquid with you there. However, the technology is already in use in Munich, Amsterdam, Dublin and London without any new regulations.
Source: Finvia
In Zurich, however, it will take some time. Employees there are still working with traditional X-ray technology. CT is also being considered for the future. The security staff at Zurich Airport were actually supposed to test the new technology back in 2019. However, the coronavirus pandemic delayed this, which is why the tests are not expected to start until the second quarter of 2024. During the test phase, however, only two of the 26 security checkpoints will initially be equipped with CT technology.
Cover image:Shutterstock
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