Major boost as UK airport to scrap strict liquid rules this year
PASSENGERS travelling through a major UK airport will no longer have to take laptops and liquids out of their bag, it has been announced.
Upcoming changes to security at the travel hub are expected to make life easier for passengers passing through security.
Luton airport has announced that tech company Leidos is set to install 12 advanced CT bag scanners at its security gates.
Work on the installation has already begun and the scanners are expected to be in action before the end of the year.
The machines will also allow passengers to take more liquid in their hand luggage, with the 100ml rule set to be scrapped.
The new scanners will mean that passengers will be able to carry up to two litres of liquids in their bags, without the need to remove them from their bags.
Laptops and electronic devices are also permitted to stay in hand luggage during the screening process, making passing through security much more simple.
Luton is the UK’s fifth busiest airport, with more than 13 million passengers passing through in 2022 and is installing the scanners ahead of a deadline for UK airports.
The Department for Transport has told larger airports that they need to have the new technology in place by June 2024.
Chris Jones, Head of Security at Luton Airport said: “When we evaluated solutions that would provide the highest level of security while keeping a simple, friendly passenger journey and experience at London Luton Airport, Leidos was the ideal choice.
“We look forward to realising the benefits of these new technologies.”
Luton isn’t the only airport moving quickly to get the CT scanners installed.
London City airport has been trialling the technology this month during half-term.
Robert Sinclair, the boss of the airport, said the he wants his airport to be at the forefront of the technology revolution.
He told the Telegraph that in the future he wants to get rid of scanners and instead implement a much slicker system.
He claims the future will see passengers walking “through a security lane carrying a bag behind you, and being scanned as you walk through” instead of having to put their bags through separate scanners.
The airport’s trial of the new scanners have been very popular with those passing through his airport, Sinclair insists.
He continued: “Passengers love it. It’s the convenience, being able to leave everything, but it’s also the speed as well that you can actually get through.
“For us, it’s just a demonstration… of our focus on speed and convenience.”
Heathrow and Gatwick are also starting to bring the scanners in as airports look to make security more efficient for passengers.
John Holland-Kay, boss of Heathrow airport, told The Times: “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 DFT.
“By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags”.
Despite the removal of the large liquids ban, other hand luggage restrictions will remain in place, including a ban on sharp objects.
It’s not just drinks that are banned either, there are also restrictions on certain food items at security.