As the BBC reported on Thursday, the British government plans to introduce new 3D scanners by mid-2024 that will allow security forces to see travelers’ pockets more clearly. Passengers would then be able to leave liquids in their bags with no limit, as well as laptops and tablets, it said. According to the Times newspaper, the measure is intended to significantly reduce queues at security checks.
Since November 2006, air travelers have only been allowed to take liquids in their hand luggage in containers with a maximum size of 100 milliliters. They must be packed in a transparent bag with a maximum capacity of one liter and must be shown separately at the check. Laptops and tablets must also be removed from backpacks and bags. The measure was enacted after a plan to attack planes using explosives hidden in drink bottles was foiled.
“We’ve just started expanding the security area in Terminal 3, which will have more CT scanners,” London Heathrow Airport chief John Holland-Kaye told The Times. The Ministry of Transport has set a deadline of mid-2024. Then it will be normal for passengers to keep liquids in their pockets.
According to the report, travelers not removing items from their carry-on bags or traveling with more liquids than allowed are the biggest causes of airport security delays.
A test run began in Heathrow in 2017. The UK government originally planned to roll out the 3D scanners by December 1, 2022. The deadline was postponed because of the pandemic.
