Liquids, Laptops Can Stay in Carry-Ons at Some Canadian Airports With New Screening Tech

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is collaborating with various airports across Canada to deploy computed tomography technology at screening checkpoints over a multi-year period. CATSA/Handout photo

Passengers at some Canadian airports can now pass through security without removing liquids or electronics from their carry-on baggage, due to the adoption of new screening technology.

The upgraded screening lines use 3D X-ray technology to detect explosives and other threats without requiring passengers to remove permitted liquids, aerosols, gels, laptops, or medical devices from their carry-on bags, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) said in a Dec. 3 press release, announcing the latest rollout of the device at the Calgary airport (YYC).

“As the holiday season approaches, the introduction of CATSA’s new CT X-ray technology to one of our screening lanes at YYC couldn’t be more timely,” Calgary Airport Authority CEO and president Chris Dinsdale said in the press release.

Vancouver International Airport was the first to install the technology in September. Ottawa and Montreal-Trudeau International Airports followed in October, introducing devices at one domestic-international checkpoint in each airport. Calgary is now the fourth location, adopting the technology at a checkpoint for travellers to the United States.

The devices will be installed at more airports as part of a multi-year CATSA national deployment program. The first year of deployment is estimated to cost approximately $23 million, CATSA spokesperson Dominique Huras told The Epoch Times.

The timing of the deployment program will depend on finances and the readiness of airports to cooperate in the implementation of the devices, Huras said.

The devices use computed tomography technology, a method that relies on three-dimensional rotatable X-ray images to examine bag contents. The current technology uses two-dimensional imaging.

The new devices do not pose a risk to health, the corporation added, noting the technology meets Health Canada’s safety standards, including the Radiation Emitting Devices Act, as well as Canadian electrical equipment safety regulations.

The new screening technology only applies to permitted liquids up to 100 millilitres, CATSA said. Liquids exceeding this amount will still have to be removed from carry-on bags at security checkpoints.

CATSA was established in 2002 as a Crown corporation responsible for ensuring public safety through proper screening of air passengers and their baggage. It is funded by parliamentary appropriations and accountable to Parliament through Canada’s minister of transport.  The corporation had $859.59 million to fund its operations during the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

The next airport to see the new screening line will be the Toronto Pearson International Airport, sometime before the holidays, said Huras.