New CT scanners introduced at Munich Airport

Five new computed tomography (CT) scanners have been installed in Terminals 1 and 2 of Munich Airport in an effort to make passenger and baggage checks safer, faster and more convenient.

These machines produce fully rotatable, 3D X-ray images in high resolution. In the future, they will be deployed at all commercial airports in Bavaria, with the state investing more than €45 million to equip all checkpoints at Munich Airport with the technology.

“We have subjected the technology to extensive tests, and the results are unequivocal: Passengers like the scanners because they no longer have to unpack their laptops and liquids, which makes the checks must faster,” said Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter. “Moreover, the CT scanners provide additional security by seamlessly and automatically detecting explosives and other dangerous items.”

Another advantage of the new checkpoints is that more passengers can place their luggage on the belt at once, which reduces waiting times. A double lane can thus handle up to 520 passengers an hour – an increase of around 160 per cent. Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers said: “The new CT scanners are the next level in terms of security, fast processing and convenience. An important component in offering our guests a more pleasant travel experience.”

In addition to the two pilot systems in use at Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 since 2019, three further screening lanes in Terminal 1 and two in Terminal 2 will go into operation at the beginning of the Whitsun holidays at the end of May. All other checkpoints will be upgraded in ten further construction phases by the start of the summer holidays in 2026, when up to 48 lanes and 60 CT scanners will be in use. Nuremberg Airport is also to be fully upgraded in the same period – the first machine has been in operation since the end of February. Bavaria’s third airport, Memmingen, will acquire the technology during the next structural expansion.