Strict liquid rules set to return to airports across Europe next month – just weeks after the UK
PASSENGERS travelling from European airports are being warned over changes to hand luggage rules.
Airports across Europe will see the strict 100ml liquid rules reintroduced from next month.
Earlier this year, several European airports installed brand-new CT scanners, allowing passengers to carry liquid items of up to two litres in their hand luggage and avoid the need to remove items like laptops and electronics from their bags.
The new CT scanners were gradually being introduced in airports across Europe, including Munich Airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport, Milano Malpensa Airport and Frankfurt Airport.
Despite having the new CT scanners installed, passengers travelling from European airports will need to make sure their liquids do not exceed 100ml from September 1, 2024.
The European Commission introduced the temporary restriction earlier this week, following a decision made by the UK government.
Even though only a handful of European airports had the new CT scanners installed, the temporary restriction has been met with backlash by industry experts.
According to Travel Weekly, the Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) said the new restrictions were “a blow to major investments by airports”.
Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe director general, told Travel Weekly: “All airports will comply with the new restriction. However, airports which have been early adopters of this new technology are being heavily penalised operationally and financially.
“They took the decision to invest and deploy C3 scanners in good faith, based on the EU having greenlighted this equipment without any restriction.
“The decision to now impose significant restrictions to their use questions the trust and confidence the industry can place in the current EU certification system for aviation security equipment.”
It is not yet known how long the restrictions will remain in place and whether passengers will be able to keep liquid items in their bags as they move through security.
Airports operating inside the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway will need to comply with the restrictions.
The 100ml restrictions are already in place in the UK, with the Government reintroducing the measures on June 9, 2024 – even though several UK airports had new CT scanners installed at the time.
The 100ml rule was first introduced in 2006.
When will the restrictions be lifted?
It is not yet known when restrictions in both the UK and Europe will be lifted, meaning it is not clear when passengers will benefit from the 3D scanners.
With airports across the globe enforcing a variety of different hand luggage restrictions, Travel trade association ABTA recently encouraged passengers to stick to the current 100ml rules.
Its message is simply to carry on “as if nothing has changed” for the time being, until more airports have the tech in place.
Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs, said: “To help everyone enjoy a stress-free experience this half-term, our message is simple – you can’t go wrong if you stick to the current rules around liquids and laptops when preparing your hand luggage.
“The new airport scanners will make things faster and strengthen security once they’re fully implemented.
“While we have this period whereby airports are still working to implement the changes, the best thing to do is travel as if nothing has changed.”
Which UK airports have the new scanners?
Last year, the Department of Transport implemented a deadline of June 2024 for airports to have the new scanners in place.
Several small airports in the UK have already had the new scanners installed, including Teesside Airport in County Durham, London City Airport in London and Aberdeen International Airport in Aberdeen.
London Luton Airport became the latest UK airport to install the new scanners.
What about other UK airports?
Unfortunately, it will be some time before the new 3D scanners are in place at all UK airport.
The likes of London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted and Manchester Airport have all been given an extension until summer 2025 to make sure they have fully installed the new scanners.
Although work to implement the new technology has begun, they haven’t been able to complete a full transfer from the old scanners.
London Gatwick Airport expects to have its remaining scanners in place by the first three months of 2025, which is thought to be a similar time frame to both London Stansted and Manchester Airport.
Structural problems, and keeping security operations up and running while installing the new machines, have been the source of most of the delays.
The '100ml' hand Luggage rule at UK airports explained
GOING through airport security can be a stressful experience, so it's important to be aware of strict hand luggage rules before you travel. Most UK airports will be implementing the following rules:
- All liquid items packed in a passenger’s hand luggage must be less than 100ml
- Liquids include items like gels, aerosols, moisturisers, sunscreen and makeup products
- All liquid items must fit into a 20cm x 20cm sealed plastic bag, before they go through the scanner at airport security
- Electronic items like laptops and tablets must be removed from bags and placed in a separate tray.
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