6 UK airports bringing back 100ml liquid rule

Starting from June 9, 2024, six UK airports temporarily brought back the 100ml liquid rule for hand luggage. Those are: Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, London City, Aberdeen, Southend, and Teesside airports. All these airports had previously removed the liquid restrictions after installing new CT scanners at their security checks.

Reasons for change

According to the Department for Transport (DfT) the temporary reintroduction of the 100ml liquid rule will allow further improvements to the new checkpoint systems. The decision has been made not in the response to any threat, but in order to improve the efficiency and reliability of the new technology. The transition to the new CT scanners has already faced several challenges, including significant construction work needed to install the heavy and complex machines. Some airports had to reinforce their floors to support the new scanners.

New scanner technology

The affected airports had already implemented the Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC) and high-tech CT scanners, which allowed, for some time, passengers to carry liquids up to 2l in their hand luggage without needing to remove them for security checks. These scanners create 3D images of bag contents, similar to hospital CT scanners, improving the overall security and making things easier for passengers.

Impact on passengers

Passengers traveling through these six airports are advised to pack liquids over 100ml only in their hold luggage to avoid delays. This means liquids, including aerosols and gels, carried in hand luggage should be kept under 100ml.

Conclusions and what’s next?

UK government initially set a deadline for all UK airports to upgrade to the newest CT scanners by June 1, 2024. However, this deadline has been extended, allowing some of them them to continue using older security equipment until June 2025. The temporary reintroduction of the 100ml liquid limit at six UK airports just highlights the ongoing challenges in implementing such advanced security technologies. It is unknown for how long the liquid restrictions will stay. Passengers are encouraged to keep track of the specific regulations at their departure airports and wait for the upcoming announcements.