An airport in the UK cancels a 100ml liquid base using scanners

London City Airport has scrapped the 100ml liquid limit with high-tech scanners which also allow electronics to be kept in hand luggage at security.

Travelers can now carry up to two liters of liquids, and it is no longer necessary to put toiletries in separate bags.

It is the second airport in the UK to use this technology across all its security corridors, after Teesside Airport introduced it in March.

The government has set a deadline of June 2024 for most UK airports to install the machines.

London City Airport has brought in C3 scanners that take high-resolution 3D images of bags.

Travelers at other airports currently have to remove items such as tablets, laptops and liquids from carry-on bags for security checks.

The current rules were introduced in November 2006, at the end of the ban on liquids in the cabin, when British police said they had foiled a plot to blow up up to 10 planes using explosives hidden in drinks.

London City Airport began trialling the new technology more than a year ago, and four of the new X-ray machines, similar to CT scanners used in hospitals, went live on Tuesday.

Allison Fitzgerald, chief operating officer, said screening staff had been retrained to use the technology, which provides 3D images, and the public can be sure it is safe.

“The level of treatment through X-rays is now safer than it was before, and the device has the ability to distinguish between non-hazardous liquids and hazardous liquids.”

She added that the machine would still reject images she was not happy with, but would allow staff to focus on potential threats while allowing items such as water, shampoo and perfume to pass through.

Fitzgerald added that it would also speed up the 'door to gate' process with estimates of a 30% increase in passenger numbers.

“The whole process has become faster because previously you needed to empty your bag and put it in several trays, whereas now it is one bag in one tray and you do not need to take everything out,” she said.

any? Consumer expert Harry Kind said although this was the “beginning of the end” for a system introduced 17 years ago, people should not assume it was a rule change across the board.

“It's really important that passengers actually check the rules for the airports they are traveling from and flying into,” he said.

But most importantly, waiting times should be reduced. Many travelers have reported delays of up to an hour at security, recently any? reconnaissance Kind added that 7% said they missed a flight due to queues.

“This change will make a huge difference and reduce the number of people missing flights and losing vacations just because they got a bottle of shampoo that was too big.”

He added that London City Airport was actually the fastest of the UK airports surveyed for security times, with an average of 12 minutes.

The UK's largest airports are rolling out next generation technology on a phased basis.

Heathrow Airport trialled 3D scanners in 2017, and said that with more security lanes than any other airport, installing the new devices “will always be complex and take longer”.

Gatwick Airport is currently trialling one route using next-generation technology, and a spokesperson said passengers should continue to follow all current rules.

Other airports told the BBC they did not have a specific completion date but that it would meet the government's June 2024 deadline.

This technology has already been used at airports in the United States, such as Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and Chicago's O'Hare Airport, for a number of years.