London City Airport (LCY) has surpassed the 100ml liquid limit for hand luggage thanks to the rollout of a new high-tech computed tomography scanner – beating the 2024 deadline set by the UK government He posed.
The move makes LCY the first airport in London to completely adopt the new technology and eliminate the need for security checks. Nationally, LCY is the second UK airport to drop the regulation, after Teesside International Airport (MME) dropped the liquid rule in March.
The security upgrade addresses the challenge posed by the UK government to the country’s airports to have scanners fully operational in their hubs by 2024 to speed up traffic. transfer passengers. The UK’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, promised to scrap the rule by December 2022, but his successor, Rishi Sunak, later extended the deadline to June 2024.
Related: The surprising item I got triggered the TSA alarm
Speaking about the plans last year, UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Tiny toiletries have become a key element of airport security checkpoints, but all is ready to change. I am streamlining hand baggage rules at airports while increasing security. By 2024 major airports across the UK will be installed. Place the latest in security technology, reduce queuing times, improve passenger experience, and most importantly, detect potential threats.
“Of course, this will not happen immediately – this will take two years to fully implement. Until then, passengers must continue to follow the applicable rules and check before traveling.”
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Related: Should You Get Global Entry or TSA PreCheck?
The 100 ml rule was introduced in the UK after a terror plot was foiled in 2006 involving explosives hidden inside soft drink bottles. Nearly two decades later, scanner technology has greatly improved, making liquid cap enforcement redundant when the scanner is at full capacity.
Travelers at LCY will be able to carry up to 2 liters (more than half a gallon) of liquids in hand luggage and pass through security without removing electrical devices such as laptops.
Related: Everything you need to know about TSA’s 3-1-1 fluid rule
UK airports are not the first to take advantage of CT scanners. Several international peers — including Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Miami International Airport (MIA) — have streamlined their security checkpoints with technology. In fact, CT scanners have been operating at LCY for a while, but only now the 100 milliliter rule has been dropped.
City bosses initially aimed to have the hardware installed across airport security zones by the end of March – ahead of the UK’s busy Easter holiday, when bosses will be hoping to reduce time wait times and avoid a repeat of last year’s delays and mass overloads.
LCY provides important short-haul services from the UK to wider Europe and is London’s fifth-busiest centre. Its routes are served by British Airways, ITA Airways, KLM and Lufthansa, among others.
Additional reporting by Joe Ellison.
