U.K. 100ml Liquids Rule In Hand Luggage On Planes—Delayed To 2025?

29.12.2023 - 11:21 / forbes.com / London Stansted

It's the good news that U.K. airport travelers have been waiting for, that very soon they will no longer need to try to fit all their travel liquids in a small plastic bag and remove them from their hand luggage to head through security before boarding a flight. However, the goal to introduce the new system into all U.K. airports by June 2024 is looking unlikely, with delays expected.

Thanks to new 3D technology, all of the U.K. airports plan to upgrade their security scanners so that after 17 years it will no longer be necessary to reduce liquids to a maximum of 100ml in a clear, plastic bag that measures no more than 20cm x 20cm and is fully closed. However, The Times in the U.K. reported that many airports are behind schedule to meet The Department for Transport's goal of June 2024.

A new generation of CT X-Ray scanners (similar to the ones used in hospitals) are now able to scan the insides of bags in much greater detail and can flag potentially dangerous liquids. Laptops and other electronic devices will not need to be removed and passengers will be able to carry up to two litres of liquids.

London's Heathrow airport carried out a trial that began in 2017 and U.K. ministers agreed the plan in 2022. London's City Airport and Teeside airport in the north of England have now introduced 3D scanners already and the same is true for Shannon and Donegal airports in Ireland. The U.K. government has asked that all other U.K. airports are ready by 2024. That includes Aberdeen, Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Southampton, Southend and London Stansted.

The Times, citing several sources, reports that some of the U.K. airports are behind in the installation process, citing Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Gatwick hopes to have the 3D scanners in place by the first three months of 2025 and other airports have the scanners operating in some security lanes but not others. Heathrow will be online a little later in 2025 because it has to reinforce the floors in some of its terminals before it can install the scanners.

The Telegraph reports that many industry experts believe the rules might not be changed, however, until after the summer period to avoid confusion, particularly at airports where there will be a mixture of 2D and 3D scanners in situ and to allow time to fully retrain security staff so they are prepared.

The 100ml rule, which was widely criticised as an overreaction in 2006, was introduced after the British police discovered and foiled a terrorist plot to bring down several transatlantic flights the same year using liquid explosives hidden in soft drinks bottles. All liquids except baby milk were then banned, aside from this