Ministers have ordered a stunning emergency overhaul of airport security following concerns over new equipment that allows passengers to keep liquids in their hand luggage.
Airports with the new scanners have been ordered to reintroduce the old rules from midnight on Saturday, meaning travelers will be limited to carrying 100ml containers for liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs).
The independent understands that a number of concerns have been raised about the new equipment, which is also used at overseas airports such as Schiphol in Amsterdam and Shannon in Ireland.
While security has never been compromised, a number of airports using the new scanners have experienced long queues due to a higher-than-expected rejection rate, with security officers required to search hand luggage. Sources have said so The independent that harmless liquids such as sunscreen have been wrongly classified as high-risk substances.
The government has told airports with “next-generation security checkpoints” – which should eliminate the hassle of removing toiletries in clear plastic bags for separate screening – to revert to the old rules for liquids, aerosols and gels. Electronics such as laptops are not affected.
“This temporary step is designed to allow further improvements to the new checkpoint systems and will only affect a small number of passengers,” the Department for Transport (DfT) said in a surprise statement on Friday evening. “Safety measures remain unchanged for most passengers.”
It said only passengers traveling from London City, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Aberdeen, Southend and Teesside airports would be affected.
A DfT spokesperson said: “From 0001 on Sunday 9 June 2024, the 100ml restrictions on liquids will be temporarily reintroduced for passengers traveling from six regional airports where Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC) are fully operational.”
The introduction of new equipment had long been postponed. A 2022 target was set to have the scanners at all airports from this month, but officials admitted earlier this year that the deadline would not be met. None of the six largest UK airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Luton or Edinburgh – are fully compliant.
The restrictions were introduced in 2006 after a “liquid bomb plot” on a transatlantic flight.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper told BBC Breakfast: “We have reintroduced that rule while updates and changes are made to the scanning equipment at the airport to ensure we can continue to deliver our industry-leading levels of aviation security.
“It is a temporary measure and we will see when this can be reversed in the long term.”
The last-minute move comes days after Birmingham Airport reintroduced the old 100ml limit, blaming a regulatory hurdle. However, the airport says passengers do not need to carry the liquids in a separate bag. There are sometimes long queues at security at the West Midlands hub.
Birmingham Airport CEO Nick Barton said: “Since the opening of our new security area, and despite being one of the first UK airports to comply, we have been restricted in the use of our multi-million pound equipment due to excellent legal restrictions, meaning we had to limit liquids to 100ml. This rule has now been introduced nationally.
“Despite the 100ml rule still being in place, we continue to have non-compliant bags of liquids that exceed the allowable quantity, which has led to inefficiencies in our equipment and longer queues for customers.
“It is now imperative that all customers adhere to the national rule, to ensure a smoother and easier transition through the airport. A non-compliant bag containing liquids over 100ml can add up to 20 minutes to each passenger’s journey through security.”
It is believed that the six airports fully equipped with new scanners will allow passengers to leave liquids (less than 100ml) and laptops in their hand luggage, rather than having them removed and placed in a separate container. This is also the policy at Birmingham Airport.