Flyers travelling through some of Europe’s biggest airports can soon forget about the pesky 100ml liquid limits.
The European Union is set to allow passengers to fly with up to two litres of perfumes, bottles of wine and more in hand luggage at airports with advanced new CT scanners.
Holidaymakers flying out of Berlin, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and scores of other hotspots could soon benefit.
It comes as Birmingham and Edinburgh scrap the 100ml liquid rule in cabin baggage, while other UK airports still enforce the limit.
Under current rules, liquids in hand baggage must be packed in containers carrying no more than 100ml, with some exceptions for baby products and medicines.
The new changes hinge on the advanced Hi-Scan 6040 CTiX scanners made by Smiths Detection.
These huge devices mean any threats within hand luggage can be picked up on without the need to use of clear plastic bags or keep liquids within 100ml bottles.
Last year, a host of UK and European airports had these scanners in place and scrapped the 100ml liquids rule.
But a technical fault meant it had to be quickly reintroduced.
However, an updated algorithm on the Hi-Scan 6040 CTiX scanners has now been developed and approved by the European Commission in June.
Now all eyes turn to getting the green light from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).
How to take liquids on a flight at most UK airports
To take any of the above items in your hand luggage, you need to package them accordingly. The guidelines require liquids to comply with the following restrictions if they’re in your carry-on:
- Containers must hold no more than 100ml
- Containers must be in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag, which holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm
- Contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
- The bag must not be knotted or tied at the top
- You’re limited to 1 plastic bag per person
- You must show the bag at the airport security point
This could come as soon as next week, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports. The European Commission has reportedly confirmed this.
Once the ECAC gives the thumbs up, tourists could soon bring up to 2 litres of liquid, aerosols and gels when they fly out of Europe.
The advanced CT scanners can be found in Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
They could all relax their liquid limits once the approval comes in.
These scanners also mean that laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices can be kept in your hand luggage.
The 100ml liquid rule was first introduced in 2006 after the Metropolitan Police quashed a terrorist plot to bring down seven transatlantic flights using liquid explosives stored in 500ml soft drinks bottles.
Edinburgh and Birmingham have this updated technology in place and have already relaxed the 100ml restrictions.
But other UK airports are not at a stage where the limit can be dropped, according to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
Airports such as Teesside, London City, Southend, Leeds Bradford, Teesside, Newcastle and Aberdeen had these high-tech scanners in place last year but are still enforcing the old limits.
Gatwick Airport installed new CT 3D scanning machines on all of its 19 security lanes this spring. Passengers will still have to adhere to the maximum 100ml rule, but they can keep the containers in their hand luggage when passing through the scanners.
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