Business and leisure travellers flying out of Zurich can expect a much smoother security experience from today, 26 June 2026. Switzerland’s largest airport has completed the roll-out of next-generation computed-tomography (CT) scanners across all departure lanes, allowing passengers who start their trip in Zürich to keep laptops, tablets and – crucially – up to two litres of liquids in their cabin bags. The move ends the EU-wide 100-millilitre restriction introduced after the 2006 “liquid bomb” plot and positions Zurich alongside early adopters such as London City and Amsterdam Schiphol. Airport operator Flughafen Zürich AG says the conversion of 28 lanes was finished ahead of the busy summer season. CT technology generates a 3-D image that allows screeners to rotate and inspect bags digitally, eliminating the need to remove items or separate fluids and electronics.
![Zurich Airport scraps 100-millilitre liquid rule as new CT scanners go live]()
Whether you’re shaving minutes off the security line or coordinating travel for an entire team, you’ll still need to make sure visas and entry permits are in order. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets you check requirements, start applications and track processing online, so the time you save at Zurich’s new scanners isn’t lost at immigration.
According to project manager Roman Jung, trial lanes processed passengers up to 40 percent faster, cutting average queuing times in half during peak morning banks. The change currently applies only to passengers beginning their itinerary in Zurich and screened in the main Security Control Building. Connecting travellers whose hand luggage has not been re-screened at ZRH must still comply with the old 100 ml limit for onward flights that have not adopted CT rules. Other Swiss gateways – Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva and Bern – are expected to deploy the technology progressively through 2027, but for now they continue to enforce the standard restriction. For corporate mobility managers the upgrade could translate into shorter dwell times, less stress for frequent flyers and a small but tangible boost to productivity. Carriers such as Swiss and Edelweiss also anticipate smoother boarding, as fewer last-minute cabin-bag repacks clog the gate. Travellers should, however, pay close attention to liquid limits at their destination airports to avoid confiscations on the return leg. Zurich’s customs authority has warned that duty-free liquids exceeding 100 ml bought outside Switzerland will still need proof of security-tamper-evident (STE) bags when transiting through non-CT airports.
Whether you’re shaving minutes off the security line or coordinating travel for an entire team, you’ll still need to make sure visas and entry permits are in order. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets you check requirements, start applications and track processing online, so the time you save at Zurich’s new scanners isn’t lost at immigration.
According to project manager Roman Jung, trial lanes processed passengers up to 40 percent faster, cutting average queuing times in half during peak morning banks. The change currently applies only to passengers beginning their itinerary in Zurich and screened in the main Security Control Building. Connecting travellers whose hand luggage has not been re-screened at ZRH must still comply with the old 100 ml limit for onward flights that have not adopted CT rules. Other Swiss gateways – Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva and Bern – are expected to deploy the technology progressively through 2027, but for now they continue to enforce the standard restriction. For corporate mobility managers the upgrade could translate into shorter dwell times, less stress for frequent flyers and a small but tangible boost to productivity. Carriers such as Swiss and Edelweiss also anticipate smoother boarding, as fewer last-minute cabin-bag repacks clog the gate. Travellers should, however, pay close attention to liquid limits at their destination airports to avoid confiscations on the return leg. Zurich’s customs authority has warned that duty-free liquids exceeding 100 ml bought outside Switzerland will still need proof of security-tamper-evident (STE) bags when transiting through non-CT airports.
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