Passengers at Cardiff Airport will no longer have to take liquids and electronic equipment out of their hand luggage when passing through security following a multi-million-pound investment.
The airport, which is owned by the Welsh Government, has now compiled with Ƶ Government legislation that airport handling more than one million passengers in 2019 had to replace 2-D cabin baggage screening machines with next generation security 3-D scanners.
The new technology allows passengers to leave liquids under 100ml in their hand luggage, along with all electronics. The airport said the installation will speed up the security process and provide an enhanced customer experience.
The cost of the £6.6m investment has been financed by the Welsh Government in the form of equity. The scanners were initially planned to be ready over the summer, but like other airports, there was a delay due to supply issues outside the control of the airport.
Chief executive of the Rhoose-based airport, Spencer Birns, said: “I would like to say a special thank you to our teams for working tirelessly to deliver this project. This state-of-the-art facility is a significant investment for the growth and future development of our national airport. Safety and security is our number one priority. We have worked closely with our suppliers, who I also want to thank for their hard work and support.”
Latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority show that in the year to the end of October, the airport handled 879,000 passengers, up 0.3% on the previous year.
Last month holiday giant Tui announced a major expansion at the airport starting next winter. In a move that will bring an additional 20,000 holidays on sale from the 2025 winter season, Tui will add a second aircraft at the airport.
While a challenging target the airport is still aiming to get to the 1.6 million passenger mark in 2026, which has last achieved pre-Covid in 2019.
