Passengers departing the UK’s main airports will soon be able to pass through airport security with up to two liters of liquid in their hand luggage after the government confirmed plans to scrap the 100ml rule.
The UK government is set to initiate a nationwide upgrade of airport scanners and is giving a deadline of June 2024 for major UK airports to update screening equipment and processes.
The new scanners use CT X-ray technology that can provide a 3D image of items in passengers’ bags, as well as deploy advanced threat detection algorithms.
The new technology will allow passengers to carry up to two liters of liquid in hand luggage, and will also eliminate the need to separately scan gadgets and laptops.
The upgraded scanners were ordered back in 2019 under then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but installation was delayed due to the pandemic.
UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper told BBC news that the new technology would reduce queue times to improve the “passenger experience, and most importantly detecting potential threats”.
The new scanning technology has already been in use for a number of years in certain airports: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) and Chicago’s O’Hare (ORD) and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam (AMS).
With the new security changes set to take place in two years’ time, current airport security rules still apply at UK airports. Passengers must remove large electrical gadgets such as laptops and tablets for separate scanning, and limit any liquids they are carrying in their hand baggage to 100ml, ensuring to place them in a clear plastic bag to be scanned separately.