Skopje Airport has introduced new screening technology that lets liquids and laptops stay in your hand luggage. What it means for you — and what you still need to check.
Anyone who travels often knows the security routine by heart. The laptop comes out of the bag. Liquids go into a clear pouch. Chargers, tablets, and devices get separated into their own trays. By the time it all passes through the scanner, half your hand luggage is spread across the belt.
That very routine is starting to change at Skopje Airport. The airport has completed an investment in a new generation of security scanners, with which — at some lanes — you no longer need to remove liquids and electronic devices from your hand luggage. For a passenger, that means faster, simpler passage through security, especially during the morning and evening crowds.
What exactly is changing
Classic X-ray scanners produce a two-dimensional image of a bag’s contents, which is why the security officer asks you to take out devices and liquids separately for a clearer view. The new technology works with three-dimensional imaging and advanced algorithms that analyse the contents without anything needing to come out.
In practice, that means the laptop, tablet, and liquids can stay in the bag as it passes through the scanner. Fewer trays, less separating, faster movement. This technology is already being rolled out at a large number of European airports, and Skopje is among the first in the region to apply it.
What you still need to check
Here comes the part most passengers get wrong, so it’s worth saying plainly.
Don’t automatically assume the 100ml liquids rule has been abolished. Although the new equipment technically allows larger quantities of liquid, whether and to what extent that applies in practice depends on current regulations and on which specific lane you pass through. Experience from other European airports shows that introducing the new scanners doesn’t automatically mean the old limits vanish overnight — in some cases the liquids restriction has remained in force despite the new equipment, for regulatory reasons.
So the safest approach is simple: until further confirmation, pack your hand luggage as if liquids are still limited to 100ml per container. If security tells you that you don’t need to take them out — great, you pass faster. But if you’ve packed assuming the limit is gone, while it’s actually still in force, you risk having your liquids confiscated at the checkpoint.
Why this is good news even with the restrictions
Despite the uncertainty around liquids, the change matters for another reason: speed. The biggest bottleneck at security has always been the moment of separating devices — taking out laptops, tablets, and cameras into their own trays. When that disappears, the queue moves noticeably faster.
For Skopje, where flights arrive in waves and security gets swamped at certain hours, this is a direct improvement to the experience. Less time lost at the belt means less stress before the flight and a lower risk of catching your departure at the last moment.
What to do before your next flight
Short and practical:
Arrive at the airport with enough time — the new technology speeds up security, but it doesn’t abolish the waves of crowds. Pack your liquids cautiously, as if the limit still applies, until proven otherwise. And at the checkpoint itself, follow the officers’ instructions — they’ll tell you what to take out and what to leave in on that particular lane.
If you’re planning a trip and want to be sure everything — from luggage to documents — is in order before you set off, call us or send a request. We help with the whole journey, not just the ticket.
Security regulations and liquids rules change and depend on current legislation. The date of last verification is shown above. Before your flight, the airport’s official page and your airline are authoritative on the current rules.