Jürgen Kappler, Portfolio Director for Aviation & Critical Infrastructure, Smiths Detection explores how CT is reshaping aviation security.
Aviation has long been a bellwether for global mobility. Now it is also a test case for whether critical infrastructure can keep pace with complexity at scale.
As Smiths Detection marks the deployment of its 2,000th HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX system, the milestone matters for more than the number. It reflects how quickly aviation security is shifting from a compliance function to an operating discipline, measured in flow, consistency and resilience.
Passenger volumes continue to push upward in many markets, concentrating pressure in major hubs, fast-growing regions and peak travel periods that already strain capacity.
At the same time, expectations have shifted. Travellers want shorter queues and fewer interruptions, and they increasingly experience security as part of the journey – not a separate stage.
Airports sit at the intersection of these demands. They are expected to process more passengers, more quickly, while maintaining rigorous security outcomes.
Many are also managing labour constraints, cost pressure and a regulatory environment that is both exacting and evolving. The operational reality is that small inefficiencies compound fast, showing up as queue volatility, rechecks and downstream disruption.
The equation is blunt: Rising volume and complexity, tighter resources and no tolerance for weaker outcomes. Meeting it is less about incremental tweaks and more about designing screening as a system, with technology, processes and data that can perform predictably at scale.
CT scanning in aviation security – and the shift towards a new operating standard
Computed tomography has become central to this shift.
Its adoption is accelerating not because the technology is novel, but because it is deployable at scale and aligned with what airports and regulators are now trying to achieve: Consistent outcomes, faster decision cycles and better passenger flow without trading away assurance.
At its core, CT is not a standalone machine. Systems such as the HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX are designed to operate in high-throughput environments and integrate into wider checkpoint operations, from lane management to performance monitoring and serviceability.
That matters because modern screening is increasingly judged on predictability: Not only what the system can detect, but how reliably it performs across hours, shifts and sites.
Smarter screening is increasingly how faster screening is achieved. In many settings, CT can reduce divestment requirements, cutting the friction that drives rechecks and queue variability. The goal is not speed at the expense of security, but speed delivered through better information and fewer avoidable interruptions.
For operators, it delivers repeatable performance, with clearer image quality and decision support that reduces inconsistency across shifts. For regulators, it supports assurance through more standardised processes and outputs. For passengers, it can make security feel more proportionate, because the experience becomes less stop-start and more predictable.
Smiths Detection has been part of the industry’s move towards CT deployment at scale over the past decade.
Reaching a 2,000-system milestone for the HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX signals sustained confidence from airports and authorities, not only in detection capability, but in the operational fundamentals that make technology usable in practice.
Reliability, availability and maintainability are not abstract measures; they determine whether screening can be run consistently under peak load.
How AI is extending CT capability
CT provides the foundation; AI is increasingly extending what that foundation can deliver.
The point is not to remove people from the loop, but to make decision-making more consistent, particularly under time pressure. Well-trained algorithms can highlight patterns, prioritise attention and reduce avoidable alarms, helping operators focus on the images and cases that merit scrutiny.
One practical advantage is pace. Software improvements can often be deployed across installed fleets faster than traditional hardware upgrade cycles, allowing performance to be refined as concealment methods and threat profiles shift. Done properly, this supports continuous improvement without requiring airports to re-engineer entire lanes.
Pattern recognition sits at the heart of this approach. By learning from large volumes of imaging data, AI can surface indicators that are difficult to spot consistently, especially during peak throughput. The aim is better detection confidence, fewer unnecessary interventions and more stable performance.
A practical example is Smiths Detection’s certified iCMORE APIDS, which applies AI-based algorithms to support identification of prohibited items at security checkpoints.
By providing real-time alerts within the screening workflow, such capabilities can help reduce resolution time on straightforward cases, while ensuring operators can slow down and apply judgement when it matters.
In aviation security, compliance is not a one-off milestone. Regulations evolve, certification frameworks shift and airports cannot afford technology that locks them into yesterday’s standard. AI-enabled CT systems designed for software upgrades and revalidation give operators a practical advantage.
They can remain compliant today and adapt faster as future requirements emerge, including the move towards more harmonised, risk-based regulation worldwide.
Benefits that extend beyond the checkpoint
When screening runs smoothly, the checkpoint becomes less of a bottleneck and more of a smoother process within the wider airport system. Fewer avoidable interventions and more stable flow reduce passenger stress, but they also reduce operational noise for the teams running the lanes.
Predictability is one of the most valuable benefits.
When processing times are more consistent, airports can plan staffing and passenger movement with greater confidence and recover faster during peaks and disruption. Reducing variability is often as important as raising headline throughput.
There is also a wider performance effect. When passengers clear security with fewer delays, time in the terminal becomes more predictable, which supports the broader airport operation and, in many cases, commercial performance. Screening stops being viewed purely as a cost centre and becomes part of how the airport delivers its service proposition.
Perhaps most importantly, CT and AI can support evidence-led operations.
Performance data and analytics can help airports monitor bottlenecks, understand recheck drivers, plan maintenance and refine staffing models. Over time, this shifts improvement from anecdote to measurable control.
Moving forward: Smarter means safer
The industry is moving towards a model of aviation security that balances assurance, efficiency and passenger experience. CT, increasingly paired with AI decision support, sits at the centre of that shift because it addresses the core operational constraint: How to maintain high screening performance when volume is relentless.
Adoption is well advanced in some regions and still accelerating in others, with harmonisation across borders continuing to evolve. As more airports modernise, the benefits of interoperability, shared best practice and consistent operational performance become more pronounced.
Against that backdrop, a 2,000-system milestone is less an endpoint than a marker of momentum. It reflects a shift in expectations from all sides, airports seeking predictable throughput, regulators seeking robust assurance and technology providers expected to deliver systems that perform reliably under real-world conditions.
In an environment defined by complexity and constant change, one point is worth making plainly.
Smarter does not mean weaker. Done properly, smarter means safer, because it enables better decisions, more consistently, at the pace modern aviation security demands.
