UK: Airport scraps 100ml liquid rule with new scanners

A UK airport has scrapped the 100ml liquid limit by using high-tech scanners which also allow electronics to be kept in hand luggage at security. London City Airport has brought in the technology which takes high-resolution 3D images of bags. Travellers can now carry on up to two litres of liquid, and toiletries no longer have to be put in separate bags. The government has set a June 2024 deadline for most UK airports to install the machines. Passengers at other airports, except Teesside which introduced new C3 scanners in March, currently have to remove items such as tablets, laptops and liquids from hand luggage for security checks. The current rules were introduced in November 2006, at the end of a ban on liquids in the cabin, when British police said they had foiled a plot to blow up as many as 10 planes using explosives hidden in drinks. London City Airport started trialling the new technology more than a year ago and went live with four of the new X-ray machines, similar to CT scanners used in hospitals, on Tuesday. Chief operating officer Alison Fitzgerald said screening staff had been retrained to use the technology, which presents 3D imagery, and the public can be assured it is safe.<br/>