Spanish airports to liberalize liquids and electronics rules

Return to an old-school normality thanks to cutting-edge technology, starting 2024

Next year Spanish airports will gradually begin to introduce new 3D X-ray scanners for luggage, which will finally end the need to limit the quantity of liquids carried in hand luggage. Likewise, there will be no need to separate your electronics from the rest of the luggage.

In a sense, this change will be a return to roots since this is how things used to be more than a decade ago, before increasing anxiety around terrorism and security had clamped down on the free-wheeling nature of air travel. It means that travellers will be able to take large bottles in their cabin luggage.

Madrid and Barcelona airports will be the first

Acquiring the new tech, however, will not happen simultaneously across the country. According to Euronews, the first two airports to benefit from the innovation will be the two largest ones – Madrid’s Barajas and Barcelona’s El Prat. They will install the 3D scanners sometime next year, to be followed by the Palma de Mallorca airport where the technology will be introduced at the end of 2024.

After this, the new X-ray scanners will be installed at Malaga Costa del Sol in 2025 then Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Fuerteventura, Cesar Manrique Lanzarote, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez, Ibiza, Bilbao, Menorca and Valencia from 2026.

The 100ml limit now covers liquids and most types of pastes, gels and emulsions. Electronics can also block other items or disguise explosives or weapons.

The problem with these rules is that they may have increased security but have done so at the expense of convenience. The result is crowded airport areas, longer lines and waiting times.

The new 3D scanners are quite smart, though, and have enhanced X-ray technology will be able to see what is in your bag in much greater detail. They can also identify explosives without the passenger having to remove liquids or electronics from their bag.

Other European countries, which have announced plans to install the new technology at their airports are the UK and Ireland.