Brazil’s civil-aviation regulator ANAC published Resolution 817 in today’s Diário Oficial (14 October), mandating nationwide upgrades to the X-ray, body-scanner and explosive-trace systems used at passenger screening checkpoints. The rule establishes minimum technical standards, procurement deadlines and funding mechanisms that concessionaires must follow, starting a 24-month countdown for full compliance. According to the resolution, airports handling more than 2 million passengers annually—including São Paulo Guarulhos, Rio Galeão and Brasília—must submit implementation plans within 90 days and complete installation of next-generation equipment by October 2028. Smaller regional terminals have an additional year. The regulation aligns Brazil with ICAO Annex 17 amendments on emerging threats such as 3-D-printed weapons and homemade explosives that can evade legacy scanners. For business travellers the measure promises shorter queues and reduced secondary inspections once algorithm-based scanners enter service. However, airports warn that procurement could disrupt checkpoint layouts and temporarily lengthen wait times during construction. Concessionaires estimate capital expenditure at R$ 1.4 billion, costs that may feed into future tariff reviews. Multinationals should anticipate schedule buffers for flights departing major hubs over the next two years as works progress. Corporate security teams also gain an opportunity to revisit employee travel-risk policies, ensuring that laptop-ban contingencies and smart-object screening rules are updated to reflect new technology. The resolution is part of a broader post-pandemic recovery package in which ANAC couples infrastructure modernisation with passenger-rights reforms and stricter unruly-passenger penalties (Resolutions 800 and 806). Collectively, the changes aim to position Brazil as a safer, more competitive aviation market ahead of the 2027 World Corporate Games in São Paulo.
