by Passengers boarding flights from UK airports will no longer have to comply with 100ml liquid limits in hand luggage, after the UK government ordered all airports to implement a new generation of liquid scanners. Hi-tech 3D security.
Some smaller airports have already introduced the technology, but it emerged at the end of December 2023 that some larger airports are likely to miss the next deadline.
Here’s everything you need to know about the changes to the 100ml fluid rule and what it means for your next holiday.
Why does it exist?
The in-flight liquid limit was introduced in 2006 after British police foiled an Islamist terrorist plot to detonate explosives on transatlantic flights. They planned to smuggle liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks in their carry-on luggage, in what would have been the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11. After the foiled plot, the Government raised the terrorist threat from “serious” to “critical” and, as a precaution, banned carry-on luggage on all planes.
The carry-on baggage allowance was soon relaxed, but the ban on liquids remained, not only in Britain but in countries around the world. To this day, liquids larger than 100ml in volume cannot be passed through UK airport security checks, and any that meet regulations must be sealed in a clear, resealable bag. But all that is changing.
The end of the 100 ml liquid limit.
New CT X-Ray technology means airports will be able to scan liquids inside carry-on luggage, providing security staff with a detailed 3D image of the contents instead of existing 2D images. Using this new technology and “highly advanced threat detection algorithms,” potentially hazardous liquids will be flagged for additional screening. This means that passengers will be able to travel with up to two liters per person of liquids and gels in their suitcases, and will no longer need to place laptops and other electronic devices on a separate tray.
Several airports, including Miami International Airport, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome and Schiphol in Amsterdam, have already started using this technology, and the UK government has given airports until June 2024 to upgrade their equipment. detection. Some UK airports have undergone trials over the past year, so passengers may have already seen the new scanners in action. But two airports are ahead.
In early March, the city’s airport revealed it would be the first to remove the 100ml liquid limit in time for the Easter holidays. However, Teesside International Airport quietly one-upped them, deploying two state-of-the-art scanners that allow passengers to board flights to destinations such as Dalaman, Alicante, Amsterdam and Corfu without removing liquid miniatures from their suitcases. Since Schiphol has also implemented the new scanners, this means that a passenger can now complete a full return flight without any 100ml liquid limit.
John Strickland, aviation consultant and analyst, said: “This will greatly reduce stress for passengers, reduce security check times and help with flight punctuality. From the airport’s point of view, there will be more opportunities to improve revenue in retail and food establishments if passengers have more time and are more relaxed.”
The technology also means that passengers do not have to remove their laptops, tablets and cameras from their carry-on luggage at security checkpoints.
How are other airports doing with the deployment of the technology?
Despite all airports agreeing to a June 2024 deadline as set by the Government, it appears that early 2025 could be a more realistic implementation date for some of the larger airports. This is where everyone was as of December 27, 2023.
Heathrow: “Our teams are focused on executing the Program as quickly as possible, we already have new lanes in T2, T5 and T3.
“Heathrow has more security lanes than all other UK airports, so installing new lanes throughout the airport was always going to be complex. “Other major UK airports face similar challenges, but their transitions will be even less complex.”
London: “London Gatwick will have made significant progress in installing state-of-the-art security scanners by June 2024 in both terminals. We currently plan to have completed the significant logistics operation necessary to install the remaining scanners in the first quarter of 2025, once the peak summer period of activity has concluded.”
Manchester (also East Midlands and London Stansted): “We are currently rolling out the new lane-by-lane technology at Manchester and London Stansted airports, with several new lanes already in operation. Major construction projects are also underway at Manchester and East Midlands airports to expand the size of terminals to accommodate the new equipment. “This will allow the new scanners to be installed in a large number of our security lanes by June 2024, with the program expected to be fully completed the following year.”
Some airports, such as Newcastle and Liverpool, say they will have the scanners ready before the deadline. Luton, Aberdeen, Southampton, Glasgow and Bristol say they will meet the June 2024 deadline, while Edinburgh said: “We will have several of them for the majority of passengers to use in June.”
So what is the problem?
If traveling to a foreign airport that does not have adequate technology, passengers will not be able to carry their large liquids in their carry-on luggage on the return trip. If they haven’t paid for their checked luggage, they will have no choice but to bathe in perfume, slather on sunscreen and leave what’s left. That, or distribute your liquids into many small 100 ml containers.
As things stand, a fraction of the EU’s 347 airports are using the new technology, and the decision to extend liquid allowances on flights is a government matter, meaning most passengers will have to wait a time to feel all the benefits of the rule change.
What does the future hold for airports?
There are other ways the airport security experience could improve with the emergence of new technologies. Some airport security already uses fingerprint and iris verification, and it is predicted that biometric and facial recognition systems will one day replace the need for a physical passport.
Kevin O’Sullivan, principal engineer at SITA Lab, told The Telegraph: “With the advent of things like biometrics and better risk profiles of arriving travellers. I would like to think that in the next decade, when you arrive after an international flight, you will walk down a long hallway and that will be the immigration process. Your biometric data will be verified. You will be chosen, if necessary, but otherwise you will simply walk to the exit. It will make a big difference.”
Inflight mobile data will soon become the norm on flights to Europe, after the EU announced in November 2022 that airlines can safely provide 5G technology on planes; The deadline for member states to comply is June 30, 2023. However, the United States is unlikely to allow 5G coverage on flights anytime soon as frequencies are higher and there are concerns that may cause harmful interference with aircraft.
There are also companies developing sophisticated robots that could replace sniffer dogs at airports. California-based biotechnology company Koniku is developing a product that can detect a variety of odors, such as explosive chemicals and drugs, in a matter of seconds. It is thought that such machinery could be less fallible than sniffer dogs, which can be prone to giving false positives if fatigued and must undergo significant training before being used.
However, given how long it has taken the aviation industry to finally update the 100ml liquids rule (17 years), don’t expect innovations like facial recognition technology and robotic airport sniffer dogs to be introduced of Luton in the near future.
