UK airports could ditch luggage liquid rules by 2024

Security restrictions connected liquids and laptops successful manus luggage could beryllium axed wrong 2 years acknowledgment to 3D scanners that tin observe liquids.

The authorities is considering rolling retired the much precocious scanners by mid-2024, a root told the BBC, though a last determination has yet to beryllium made.

The equipment, akin to CT scanners utilized successful hospitals, provides a clearer representation of a bag's contents.

A erstwhile installation deadline slipped owed to the pandemic.

The Times paper reported that ministers person been carrying retired a reappraisal and an announcement is owed earlier Christmas, with the anticipation it could chopped down connected queues.

Currently, passengers taking liquid successful their compartment baggage are restricted to containers holding nary much than 100ml, which indispensable beryllium shown to information unit successful a single, transparent, resealable integrative container of astir 20cm (8in) x 20cm.

Those limits person been successful spot since November 2006. Their instauration ended a prohibition connected liquids successful the compartment imposed 3 months earlier, erstwhile British constabulary said they had foiled a crippled to stroke up arsenic galore arsenic 10 planes utilizing explosives hidden successful drinks bottles.

But the caller exertion enables unit to zoom successful connected a bag's contents and rotate the images for inspection.

The 3D scanners person been trialled astatine London Heathrow Airport, starting successful 2017.

Its main executive, John Holland-Kaye, told The Times newspaper: "We are dilatory rolling them out.

"We person conscionable started the enlargement of the information country successful Terminal 3 which volition person much CT scanners and person a deadline of mid-2024 from the [Department for Transport]. By past the mean rider acquisition volition beryllium that liquids enactment successful bags."

The exertion has already been successful usage by US airports, specified arsenic Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago's O'Hare, for a fig of years.

But rider numbers were dented during the pandemic with question restrictions successful spot crossed overmuch of the globe.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: "Passengers astatine UK airports indispensable not transportation liquid containers larger than 100ml done security, and some liquids and electronics should beryllium taken retired of compartment bags astatine airdrome information checkpoints."