Security restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags and removal of laptops will be lifted by next summer

The ban on air passengers carrying more than 100ml of liquids in hand luggage will be lifted at most major UK airports by June 2024, ministers announced last night.

Travelers will also no longer have to remove items such as drinks, creams and make-up and place them in clear plastic bags when going through security.

The new limit for liquids is two liters.

In the course of the biggest upheaval in aviation security in decades, laptops and tablets no longer have to be taken out of hand luggage.

Pictured: Man putting items in a clear plastic bag at the airport (file photo). The ban on air passengers carrying more than 100ml of liquids in hand luggage will be lifted at most major UK airports by June 2024, ministers announced last night

It will drastically reduce the time it takes passengers to get through security.

CT scanners, set to be installed at most major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, will use X-ray technology to provide a 3D image of what’s in bags.

They allow security personnel to inspect a bag from every angle, giving security personnel a more detailed picture of what people are carrying. Most current machines only produce a 2D image.

Similar technologies already exist in the US and at airports such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Ministers will introduce legislation today allowing for the changes, which will also drastically reduce the need for plastic at airports. Most major airports have until June 2024 to install the technology.

The biggest cause of security check delays are passengers not removing items from their bags or traveling with large bottles of liquids and creams.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “I’m tightening hand luggage rules at airports while improving security. By 2024, major airports across the UK will be equipped with the latest security technology to reduce waiting times, improve the passenger experience and most importantly, detect potential threats.

“Of course, this won’t happen immediately – it will take two years to fully implement.

“Until then, passengers must continue to follow existing rules and inquire before traveling.”

Pictured: Sign at the airport (file photo). Travelers will also no longer have to remove items such as drinks, creams and make-up and place them in clear plastic bags when going through security

The 100ml rule was introduced 16 years ago after a foiled Islamist terrorist attack in 2006. Extremists plotted to bring down seven Heathrow planes using liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks.

It would have been the largest al Qaeda attack in the West since 9/11.

The new technology has already been tested at Gatwick and Heathrow. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the process in 2019, but the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed its rollout.

It was launched at Shannon Airport in Ireland this year, scrapping the 100ml rule. The airport announced that passenger handling times had been halved.

However, there are fears that passengers could face mixed messages if they are rolled out at some airports before June 2024 and not others.

Christopher Snelling, of the Airport Operators Association, said: “This investment in next-generation security… will represent a major step forward for UK air transport and rival the best in class around the world. It will make travel through UK airports easier and the flight itself more enjoyable.’