Passengers will soon not have to remove fluids, laptops and other large electronic devices from their cabin luggage when going through airport security.
The 100ml limit on liquids will also be increased to two litres under new measures set to come into place in UK airports from June 2024.
Over the next year and a half, airports will upgrade the screening equipment at their security checkpoints to “cutting-edge systems”, according to the government’s website. The systems use computed tomography (CT) X-ray technology, which creates a 3D scan of the contents of a bag and uses a “highly advanced” algorithm to detect whether there is a threat.
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Today’s announcement follows a series of trials conducted at some UK airports, including London City, since 2018. Similar technology is already in place at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and several US airports.
The current rules around taking liquids and laptops through airport security were introduced in 2006 after a foiled terror plot involving plans to take a homemade mixture of chemicals in ordinary drinks bottles on to planes flying to the US and Canada from London.
Although the plot was thwarted, it “caused chaos to international aviation and prompted the current restrictions on liquids for airline passengers”, reported the BBC in January. The rules were hastily introduced as a temporary measure but are still in place 16 years later.
Travellers failing to follow airport security rules is “one of the biggest causes of delays at airport security”, said The Guardian. The changes, described by The Independent as “the biggest relaxation of aviation security regulations in decades”, will streamline the process and reduce queueing times.
In a separate piece for The Independent, travel expert Simon Calder said that although airports are collectively “investing hundreds of millions of pounds” in the new CT technology, it “should cut staff costs” and lead to savings for airports.
“Ultimately,” he added, “walk-through metal detectors and security pat-down of many passengers should be eliminated, with technology assessing possible threats more effectively than humans watching screens.”
