Passengers may no longer face restrictions on liquids and laptops in hand luggage on flights by 2023 thanks to new 3D scanners. Strict rules have been in place since November 2006, with people only able to carry liquids in containers smaller than 100ml and place them in plastic bags, which need to be removed at security.
These restrictions could soon be a thing of the past as The Times reports that a trial of 3D scanners at Heathrow Airport, which began in 2017, has been reviewed by ministers. The scanners are already in use at US airports and allow staff to zoom in on a bag’s contents and rotate the images for inspection.
According to the BBC the security restrictions for liquids and laptops in carry-on luggage could be axed from mid-2024. Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, told The Times: “We are slowly rolling them out.
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“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 from the [Department for Transport].
“By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags.”
The Times said those failing to remove items from their bags or travelling with large bottles of liquids is the biggest cause of delays at airport security. Boris Johnson announced plans while Prime Minister in 2019 for all major UK airports to introduce new 3D cabin baggage screening equipment.
Government officials said at the time that once in place, the 100ml liquid limit may no longer apply. The equipment was to be rolled out over the next several years, with the Department for Transport requiring all major UK airports to have the technology by December 1 2022.
But that deadline was affected by the pandemic, with passenger numbers dented due to travel restrictions in place across much of the globe. Figures from the International Air Transport Association for September showed passenger traffic levels have only reached 73% of pre-Covid levels.
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