UK airports to scrap 100ml liquids hand luggage rule

24 November 2022, 08:47 | Updated: 24 November 2022, 08:59

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Airports across the UK could get rid of security restrictions on liquids in hand luggage within the next two years.

Airports in the UK could be set to ditch their ban on liquids in hand luggage over 100ml.

Under new rules - set to come into force in 2024 - passengers travelling through airports will be able to carry drinks, cosmetics and liquids of any size in their hand luggage without putting it in a plastic bag.

According to The Times, major airports around the country will install more advanced security scanners which will allow the relaxation of the rules.

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This new technology means passengers will be able to keep everything in their bags, including laptops, for the first time in 16 years.

The special CT scanners allow airport security to inspect bags from a 3D image, instead of the current 2D images.

Currently, passengers failing to remove items from their bags or travelling with liquids over 100ml are considered to be the biggest cause of delays at airport security.

The new 3D baggage screening equipment is being tested at Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham and has been hailed a ‘game changer’ by experts.

John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow, told The Times: "We are slowly rolling them out.

"We have just started the expansion of the security area in Terminal 3 which will have more CT scanners and have a deadline of mid-2024 from the DfT.

"By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags."

Liquid allowance restrictions on hand luggage were brought in by airports back in 2006 after British police uncovered a terrorist plot.

In August of the same year, almost all cabin baggage was banned on flights with the exception of passports and wallets.

Rules were later relaxed but a total ban on liquids remained in place before the 100ml rule was introduced.

Currently, 100ml of liquids, gels, and aerosols can be carried inside a clear plastic bag measuring no more than 20cm by 20cm.

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