Liquid limits to cease at UK airports with 2024 scanner upgrade

Britain will set a June 2024 deadline for airports to upgrade security scanners so that liquids can be packed with hand luggage, ending the requirement for items such as sunscreen and shampoo to be presented at security gates in a separate plastic bag.

The introduction of cutting-edge systems will both speed up checks and improve security by providing more-detailed images, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said in a statement Thursday, announcing the introduction of legislation mandating the new cabin-bag rules.

The changes will also allow electronic devices to be packed away, while people will eventually be able to carry containers with up to 2 liters of fluid, doing away with the 100-milliliter mini bottle and the ritual of discarding larger volumes of liquid, however valuable.

The UK isn’t the first country to introduce the new technology. Hubs including Amsterdam Schiphol and Helsinki, as well as several in the US, already have CT — or computed tomography — baggage scanners that generate a 3D image that can be viewed and rotated on three axes.

Some airports have vowed to complete the upgrade sooner. Passengers flying through London City will be able to leave laptops and liquids in their bags from April, the operator said last month.