Airports in the UK are set to ditch their ban on liquids in hand luggage over 100ml by 2024.
Under new rules, passengers will no longer have to remove laptops from their bags and will be able to take aboard liquids over 100ml in hand luggage. According to reports, major airports around the country will install more advanced security scanners which will allow the change in policy in the next two years.
Currently, passengers failing to remove items from their bags or travelling with liquids over 100ml are considered to be the biggest cause of delays at airport security, The Mirror reports.
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The upcoming change has been described as "a game-changer" by insiders as it is expected to reduce delays at airports. The new 3D baggage screening equipment is being tested at Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham.
Luggage will pass through special CT scanners to allow inspectors to see the contents of bags from a 3D image rather than the 2D images currently used. Thanks to the scanners, travellers will no longer need to place all their liquids into a clear, plastic bag.
Following a review, a formal announcement by ministers is expected in the coming weeks.
John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow, told The Times : "We are slowly rolling them out.
"We have just started the expansion of the security area in Terminal 3 which will have more CT scanners and have a deadline of mid-2024 from the DfT. By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags."
Airports introduced the hand luggage liquid allowance restrictions back in 2006 after British police smashed a terrorist plot to blow up as many as ten US-bound passenger jets using liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks. In the wake of the plot being foiled in August 2006, virtually all cabin baggage was banned on flights with the exception of passports and wallets.
Later in the month, rules were relaxed but a total ban on liquids remained in place before the 100ml rule was introduced. Sixteen years after its introduction, the regulation - which allows only 100ml of liquids, gels, and aerosols to be carried inside a clear plastic bag measuring no more than 20cm by 20cm - is set to be removed.
However, other restrictions such as a ban on sharp objects will remain in place.
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