New technology changes the rules of travel on planes

Putting liquids in 100ml containers and removing electronics from bags has been a mandatory procedure in air travel for nearly 16 years, but today, new technology exists in many airports around the world that allows this rule to be scrapped.

This is according to a CNN report

In October 2021, Shannon Airport, in western Ireland, announced a new computerized tomography (CT) scan, a scanning security system that was installed at a cost of €2.5 million (about $2.6 million), allowing liquids and electronics to remain in bags and suitcases. Without restrictions on the volume of liquid.

"It's one of the projects the Shannon Group has undertaken during a period of severe travel restrictions," said Nandy O'Sullivan, director of communications for Shannon Airport Company.

This measure was implemented during the outbreak of the Corona virus pandemic, except when international travel resumed in March 2022, the technology used by the airport began to gain wider attention, as Donegal Airport, located in northwestern Ireland, followed suit by installing new technology and dropping the 100 mm rule liter.

The new technology works just as well as the CT scans used by hospitals, explains Kevin Riordan, head of checkpoint solutions at Smiths Detection, the company that supplies Shannon security equipment and a world leader in CT technology. At airports, it is replacing traditional two-dimensional x-ray scanning with more accurate three-dimensional imaging."

He continued, "You can get a lot of information from a 2D image, but if you have a 3D image, you get a lot of information... This means from a security point of view that you can make very accurate decisions about the materials in your bag. Potential threat or benign?

Shannon Airport estimates that time spent on security screening of passengers will be halved due to the new technology, and it's no surprise that Riordan says passenger feedback has been very positive at airports where the new machines have been tested.

The liquids embargo was imposed worldwide after a transatlantic terrorist plot was foiled in August 2006, in which a group planned to use liquid explosives on multiple flights. 

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