Explained: the 100ml rule – and which airports have the new scanners

• The government has reintroduced the 100ml liquid rule at six regional airports
• Eighteen years ago, the 100 ml rule was introduced after a foiled terror plot
• Passengers have been accused of causing long waits because their luggage was improperly packed
• READ MORE: Air France’s first class cabin versus the new business class

Many British airline passengers are struggling to understand the rules around taking liquids in hand luggage through airport security as new scanners are rolled out.

Long queues have formed at Birmingham Airport – where the new scanners have been launched – amid confusion over liquid restrictions.

And on Sunday, the Department for Transport temporarily reintroduced 100ml restrictions on liquids carried in hand luggage at six other regional UK airports with next-generation scanners.

Confused? We are not surprised. Here we explain everything…

Currently, all UK airports apply the 100ml liquid rule, regardless of the scanners in place.

But airports with new scanners have more flexibility in how carry-on bags pass through security.

London City, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford, Zuideinde And Tees side airports, have all installed new 3D CT (computed tomography) based scanners in security halls and scrapped the 100ml rule. Their new technology allowed passengers to carry up to two liters of liquid in any bottle size in carry-on luggage and not remove it at security.

However, on June 9, these airports were ordered to return to the 100ml liquid rule, despite having installed next-generation security checkpoints (NGSC), which create a 3D image of what is in passengers’ luggage which allows them to better identify objects.

Laptops and tablets may remain in hand luggage.

Passengers should continue to check security requirements at the departure airport before traveling A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport

A Department for Transport spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘From 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.

‘This temporary step should allow further improvements to the new checkpoint systems and will only affect a small number of passengers.

‘For most passengers, safety measures remain unchanged.

‘Passengers should continue to check security requirements at their departure airport before travelling.’

UK AIRPORT FLUID RULES

UK airports and scanner status:

• Birmingham – new scanners / 100 ml rule
• Leeds Bradford – new scanners / 100ml rule
• London City – new scanners / 100ml rule
• Aberdeen – new scanners / 100 ml rule
• Southend – new scanners / 100ml rule
• Teesside – new scanners / 100ml line
• Newcastle – new scanners / 100ml rule
• Gatwick – old scanners / 100ml rule
• Stansted – new scanners / 100 ml rule
• East Midlands – old scanners / 100ml rule
• Manchester – new scanners / 100 ml rule
• Heathrow – old scanners / 100 ml rule
• Edinburgh – new scanners / 100ml rule

Current liquid rules for airports with new scanners:

Bottles must not exceed 100 ml

Airports determine the total amount of liquid (up to two liters) and whether it should be removed from bags or kept in clear bags

UK airports without new scanners using liquid rules dating back to 2006:

Bottles/containers must not exceed 100 ml

Liquids must total less than one liter

Passengers must remove liquids from their hand luggage at security checkpoints

Liquids should be stored in clear plastic bags

New style liquid rules (to be introduced in the future):

Liquids may be left in luggage at security

Bottles can be any size and can be loose in bags

Liquids can hold a maximum of two liters in total

Passengers packaging liquids in bottles over 100ml are subject to manual checks at the airport and risk having these items thrown away.

At airports with new scanners, it will depend on the individual airport whether travelers must pack their liquids in clear plastic bags, remove them from their luggage or pack more than one liter of liquid in multiple containers, the Department for Transport confirmed to MailOnline. Trip.

What should you do if you are traveling from an airport other than the six targeted by the Ministry of Transport?

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Some of Britain’s biggest airports have already installed some of the new checkpoints in their security halls, but none have yet changed liquidity rules.

London Stansted, Manchester And Edinburgh all have at least some of the new 3D scanners installed. However, because their new security halls are incomplete and there are still some old scanners in place, no one has changed their fluid rules.

This means you still have to follow the 100ml rule and other liquid restrictions that have been in place at all three airports for the past 18 years.

London Gatwick, East Midlands Airport And London Heathrow have not yet introduced any new scanners so their security halls cannot meet the new restrictions and the 100ml rule will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

So what happened Birmingham Airport?

The airport had installed the new scanners but limited liquids to 100ml ‘due to an excellent legal restriction’, Nick Barton, chief executive, told the BBC.

The airport blames passengers for the long queues and accuses them of packing their bags incorrectly.

The problem was made worse, a source told The Independent, by the new scanners wrongly identifying innocent items, such as sunscreen, as ‘threats’.

Why was the 100ml rule introduced?

The 100ml rule was introduced in 2006 after a foiled terror plot to blow up planes flying from London to the US with home-made liquid bombs.

The restrictions required passengers to pack a maximum of one liter of liquid or less in bottles no larger than 100ml.

Liquids, it was determined, had to be sealed in a clear plastic bag and removed from the bags before being scanned at security.

Thanks to Nicky Kelvin from The points man for permission to run its scanner image.