UK airports to ditch ban on liquids over 100ml in major rule change

It’s a been a strict rule of flying for as long as we can remember, but the UK is now taking the bold step of abolishing it for good.

Airports in the UK have announced they will ditch the ban on liquids over 100ml by 2024.

New rules coming into play mean passengers travelling through UK airports will be able to carry drinks, make-up and liquids of any size in their hand luggage for the first time in 16 years, The Sun reports.

According to The Times, passengers will also be able to keep everything in their bags instead of being asked to remove laptops and ditch liquids over 100ml at screenings,

Luggage will then pass through special CT scanners which allows airport security to inspect bags from a 3D image – a vast improvement from the 2D images currently used.

This is likely to have a huge impact for travellers, with hopes that the change will significantly cut down wait times at security.

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Managing liquids for a flight has long been one of the most annoying parts of air travel.

Trials of the new technology are already taking place at Heathrow and it is expected to be rolled out as a permanent feature at the UK’s biggest airports by mid-2024.

“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,” Heathrow Airport boss John Holland-Kay told The Times.

“By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags.”

UK airports came under fire for lengthy queues over the European summer. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images

The new scanners also mean travellers will no longer need to place liquids into a clear, plastic bag.

But until the changes come into play, anyone catching a flight from the UK will have to comply with current rules on liquids.

Restrictions on the size of liquids were put into place in 2006 after a planned terror attack using liquid explosives was thwarted at Heathrow.

Trials of the new technology began at the UK’s largest airport in 2019 and are also taking place at London Gatwick and Birmingham.

Despite the removal of the large liquids ban, other hand luggage restrictions will remain in place.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission