Zurich Airport has announced that passengers departing the airport will be permitted to carry liquid containers with a capacity of up to 2 litres in their hand luggage starting this Friday (26 June 2026).
The new regulation applies to passengers who begin their journey in Zurich and get screened in the Security Control Building, and has been made possible due to the installation of new CT scanners enabling three-dimensional analysis of all hand baggage.
From 26 June onwards, both liquids and electronic devices may remain in passengers’ baggage at all screening lanes throughout the Security Control Building, completely removing the need to place liquid containers in a separate plastic bag.
The move is expected to accelerate the screening process, as well as provide a ‘noticeable increase in passenger comfort’.
Conversion of existing screening lanes within the Security Control Building first began at the end of 2025; with the project now reaching its final phase and seeing the removal of all conventional screening equipment.
Roman Jung, Project Manager, Zurich Airport Ltd, said:The project is currently in its final phase. From Friday onwards, no conventional screening equipment will remain in operation. Following completion of the conversion, all 26 screening lanes in the Security Control Building will be equipped with the new technology.
Whilst the new rules will allow for simpler security screening, Zurich Airport has stated that there are still several considerations that passengers must be aware of when travelling through the airport building.
Double-walled bottles (e.g. thermos bottles) may only be carried through security when empty, with such containers presenting a particular challenge during screening, as their multi-layer construction can prevent the new scanners from reliably detecting the contents and conclusively identifying the liquid as harmless. Additionally, analogue photographic film may be damaged by CT scanners, with passengers advised to present film proactively and request separate manual screening.
Whilst departure will allow for the new rules, return journeys at different airports may still apply different liquid restrictions, which also applies to transfer connections where passengers are required to undergo the security check again at a transit airport.
In screening areas for transfer passengers, older liquid limit restrictions will still apply as these have not been equipped with the new CT technology, with the conversion of these decentralised locations set to take place at a later stage.
The existing regulation therefore remains in effect in these areas: liquids may only be carried in containers of up to 100 ml. These containers must be transported in a transparent, resealable bag with a maximum capacity of 1 litre.
