A major British airport will become the first to ditch the hated 100ml liquid hand luggage limit next week, just in time for the last weekend of the half-term holidays.
It comes as new fast-track scanners mean liquids will no longer have to be removed from carry-ons as travellers pass through security, sparing Britons time and tedious packing and unpacking.
The current rules – which state that liquids can only be carried in containers of up to 100ml – were brought into place in 2006 after police foiled a terrorist plot to bring down at least seven transatlantic flights with liquid explosives disguised as 500ml drinks bottles.
But now, the new CT scanner technology set to be implemented at all UK airports will produce more detailed images, meaning passengers can pass through airport security with containers holding up to two litres of liquid in their hand luggage.
The Department of Transport previously set a June 2024 deadline for all airports to introduce the new 3D scanners, but almost none of them are set to meet it, and a new deadline of June 2025 has reportedly been set.
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Birmingham Airport will be the first major hub to do so and will be introducing the new, more relaxed measures at the start of June, according to The Times.
The tech has already been installed at some smaller airports, including London City, and Darlington’s Teeside Airport, though they’re yet to arrive at the vast majority.
As a result, holidaymakers across the country will continue to face long queues at the majority of major airports this summer, as London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester will be unlikely to have the scanners in operation, according to the outlet.
The new tech will also mean travellers no longer have to take their laptops and liquid containers out to feed them through scanners separately as before.
It will work by allowing staff to rotate, tilt and zoom on 3D images, so they can more thoroughly inspect the contents.
Luton and Bristol airports are also aiming to introduce the scanners by next month, and several airports already have the tech installed for some security lanes, though it’s yet to be implemented more broadly, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Gatwick says it hopes to have all remaining scanners installed by the first three months of 2025, with Stanstead and Manchester aiming for similar time frames.
