STRICT liquid rules will be scrapped at a major UK airport for the first time at the beginning of next month, making things much easier for holidaymakers.
The current 100ml liquid regulations were initially brought in as a temporary measure back in 2006, but have remained in place ever since.
However, they are set to finally be scrapped at all UK airports in the near future, with Birmingham set to be the first among the major transport hubs to get rid of them.
London City has already ditched the rules, but they serve a relatively small four million passengers a year, compared to the 12 million served by Birmingham, making it by far the largest in the UK to make the changes.
Central to the removal of the liquid rules are new CT scanners, which are being installed at airports across the UK.
They eliminate the need for passengers to restrict the liquids in their carry-on to 100ml. The new limit will be two litres, once the technology is fully up and running.
The scanners also mean travellers will no longer need to remove liquids and laptops from their bags when passing through airport security.
This will make the process of getting to departure gates much quicker and less stressful.
Birmingham is set to have the scanners in working order by June 1, which coincides with the final weekend of the half-term holidays, according to the Times.
Luton and Bristol airports are also aiming to introduce the new technology by June, with the latter said to be investing more than £10million in the new security equipment.
Teesside airport is one of two, alongside London City airport, to have already installed them.
However, it will be some time before the new 3D scanning systems are in place at all UK airports, with most of the major ones set to miss the deadline put in place by the government.
Despite all airports initially being given a deadline of June 2024 by the Department for Transport (DfT) several major airports have fallen behind.
The likes of London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester have all been given an extension until summer 2025 to make sure they have fully installed the new scanners.
Work has begun on implementing the new technology, but they haven’t been able to complete a full transfer from the old scanners.
Gatwick expects to have the remaining scanners in place by the first three months of 2025, which is a said to be a similar time frame to both Stansted and Manchester.
Structural problems, and keeping security operations up and running while installing the new machines, have been the source of most of the delays.
Hand luggage rules for UK airlines
We’ve rounded up how much hand luggage you can take on UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
One personal bag measuring no more than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
EasyJet
One personal bag measuring no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm
Jet2
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm weighing up to 10kg
TUI
One personal item that its underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One personal bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg
This means that passengers heading away this half-term shouldn’t get too excited about being able to travel without tight restrictions on their liquids.
Travel trade association ABTA has warned anyone heading abroad during that time to stick to the current 100ml rules, saying that many overseas airports also don’t have the new scanners in place.
Its message is simply to carry on “as if nothing has changed” for the time being, until more airports have the tech in place.
ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs, Luke Petherbridge, said: “Half-term is a popular time for families to get away for some guaranteed sunshine, with European favourites such as Spain, Greece, Turkey and Portugal set to welcome significant numbers of visitors.
“To help everyone enjoy a stress-free experience this half-term, our message is simple – you can’t go wrong if you stick to the current rules around liquids and laptops when preparing your hand luggage.
“The new airport scanners will make things faster and strengthen security once they’re fully implemented.
“While we have this period whereby airports are still working to implement the changes, the best thing to do is travel as if nothing has changed.”
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