- Michael Race
- BBC News Business Correspondent
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Some airport security rules relating to liquids and items such as laptops have expired in the UK.
The government has set a deadline of June 2024 to install new scanners with state-of-the-art 3D technology that will reveal detailed images of luggage contents at most airports in the country.
The changes will allow passengers to leave liquids and electronic equipment in their hand luggage when going through security – and the current limit for containers containing liquids will be expanded to 100 ml 2 litres.
Passengers are currently required to remove items such as tablets, laptops and liquids from their carry-on luggage when going through airport security.
Liquids – such as sunscreen, shampoo and toothpaste – must be in 100 ml bottles and placed in a transparent plastic bag.
Those rules have been in place since November 2006 – and their introduction marked the end of a ban on liquids in the cabin imposed three months ago, when British police said they foiled a plot to blow up 10 planes using explosives hidden in alcohol bottles. .
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Many US airports have already installed scanners with 3D technology
The government has said airports will have to upgrade their screening equipment – to a type similar to the CT scanners used in hospitals – to finally allow rules on electronic equipment to be lifted, and increase the liquid limit to two litres.
As the new standard will be phased in across the country over the next two years, the current rules will still apply at airports that do not use the technology. Passengers are advised to check this before travelling.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the new technology would reduce queue times, “improve the passenger experience and, most importantly, detect potential threats”.
Christopher Snelling, policy director of the Airport Operators Association, which represents UK airports, said: “This investment is a huge step forward for air transport in the UK, matching the best standards around the world.”
It will make traveling through UK airports easier and air travel more enjoyable,” he added.
The technology has already been in use for years at US airports such as Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago’s O’Hare.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to use scanning technology to speed up boarding checks and improve aviation security, giving UK airports a deadline of the end of 2022.
But the deadline was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has imposed travel restrictions in most of the world.
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