by Passengers boarding flights from UK airports will no longer have to comply with 100ml hand luggage liquid limits, after the UK Government ordered all airports to roll out a new generation of high-tech 3D security scanners.
Some smaller airports have already introduced the technology, but at the end of December 2023 it became clear that some larger airports are likely to miss the upcoming deadline.
Here’s everything you need to know about the changes to the 100ml liquid rule, and what it means for your next holiday.
Why is it there at all?
The in-flight liquid limit was introduced in 2006 after British police foiled an Islamic terrorist plot to detonate explosives on transatlantic flights. They planned to smuggle liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks in their carry-on luggage, in what would be the deadliest terror attack since 9/11. Following the issue, the Government raised the terror threat from “severe” to “critical” and as a precautionary measure banned hand luggage on all planes.
The hand luggage allowance was soon eased, but the ban on liquids remained – not only in Britain but in countries around the world. To this day, you can’t get through UK airport security checks with any liquids over 100ml by volume, and any that meet the regulations must be sealed in a transparent re-saleable bag. But that is all changing.
End of the 100ml liquid limit
New X-Ray CT technology means airports will be able to scan liquids inside hand luggage, providing security staff with a detailed 3D image of the contents rather than the existing 2D images. Using this new technology and a “highly advanced threat detection algorithm”, potentially dangerous liquids will be flagged for further checks. This means that passengers will be able to travel with up to two liters per person of liquids and gels in their bags, and will no longer have to put laptops and other electronic devices on a separate tray.
Already a number of airports, including Miami International Airport, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome and Schiphol in Amsterdam, have started using the technology, and the UK Government has given airports until June 2024 to upgrade their screening equipment. Trials have been carried out at a number of UK airports over the past year, so passengers may have already seen the new scanners in action. But there are two airports ahead.
In early March, City Airport revealed it would be the first to remove the 100ml liquid limit in time for the Easter Holidays. However, Teesside International Airport has quietly put them on the job, rolling out two cutting-edge scanners that enable passengers to board flights to destinations including Dalaman, Alicante, Amsterdam and Corfu without removing liquid miniatures their bags. Since the new scanners are also deployed at Schiphol, this means that a passenger can now complete a full return flight without any 100ml liquid limits.
John Strickland, aviation consultant and analyst, said: “This will greatly reduce stress for passengers, reducing times for security checks and helping flight punctuality. From the airport’s perspective, it will allow more opportunities to improve revenue in retail and food outlets if passengers have more time and are more relaxed.”
The technology also means that passengers do not have to remove laptops, tablets and cameras from their hand luggage at security checkpoints.
How are the other airports doing with the rollout of the technology?
Despite all airports agreeing to a deadline of June 2024, as set by the Government, it appears that early 2025 may be a more realistic roll-out date for some of the busiest airports. more. Here’s where they were all up to, as of December 27, 2023.
Heathrow: “Our teams are focused on delivering the Program as quickly as possible, we already have new lanes in T2, T5 and T3.
“Heathrow has more security lanes than any other airport in the UK so installing the new lanes across the whole airport has always been a challenge. Other major airports in the UK face similar challenges, but their transitions will be less complicated.”
Gatwick: “London Gatwick will have made significant progress in installing next-generation security scanners by June 2024 in both terminals. We currently plan to complete the major logistical operation required to install the remaining scanners in Q1 2025, after the peak summer period is over.”
Manchester (Also East Midlands and London Stansted): “We are currently rolling out the new lane-by-lane technology at Manchester and London Stansted airports, with a number of new lanes already in place. Work is also underway on major construction projects at Manchester and East Midlands airports to expand the size of the terminals to accommodate the new equipment. With this, the new scanners will be implemented on a large number of our security lanes by June 2024, with the program expected to be fully completed the following year.”
Some airports, such as Newcastle and Liverpool, say they will have the scanners ready before the deadline. Luton, Aberdeen, Southampton, Glasgow and Bristol say they will meet the June 2024 deadline, while Edinburgh said: “We will have some of these in place for the majority of passengers to use by June.”
So what’s the catch?
If they are traveling to an overseas airport that does not have the relevant technology, passengers will not be able to bring their oversized liquids in hand luggage on the return leg. If they didn’t pay for a checked bag, this means they’ll have no choice but to shower in perfume, slather themselves in sun cream, and leave whatever’s left behind. That, or dispense their liquids into many small 100ml containers.
As it stands, a fraction of the EU’s 347 airports are using the new technology, and the decision to extend liquid allowances on flights is a government issue, meaning the majority of passengers will have to wait a while for full benefits to betray the EU. rule change.
What is the future of airports?
There are other ways that the airport security experience could be improved with the onset of new technologies. Already, security uses fingerprint and iris verification at some airports, and it is predicted that a biometric and facial recognition system will one day replace the need for a physical passport.
Kevin O’Sullivan, lead engineer at SITA Lab, told the Telegraph: “When things like biometrics and better risk profiling of travelers came through. I would like to think over the next ten years, when you arrive after an international flight, you will walk down a long corridor and that is the immigration process. Your biometrics will be checked. You will be picked up, if necessary, but otherwise you will walk straight to the exit. It will make a huge difference.”
In-flight mobile data will soon be the norm on flights to Europe, after the EU announced in November 2022 that airlines can safely provide 5G technology on planes; The deadline for member states to comply is June 30, 2023. The United States is unlikely to allow 5G coverage on flights anytime soon, however, because the frequencies are higher and there are concerns that they could cause harmful interference to aircraft.
There are also companies developing sophisticated robots that could replace sniffer dogs at airports. California-based biotechnology company Koniku is developing a product that can detect a range of smells, such as explosive chemicals and drugs, in seconds. It is believed that such machinery may be less detectable than sniffer dogs, prone to false positives if fatigued, and require significant training before deployment.
However, given how long it took the aviation industry to finally update the 100ml liquids rule (17 years), don’t expect innovations such as facial recognition technology and robot sniffer dogs at Luton Airport to be unveiled until in the near future.
