LONDON – In a major relief to the commuters, London City Airport has ended the 100ml liquid limit rule by installing high-tech scanners which also allow electronics to be kept in hand luggage at security.
As per fresh regulations, travelers can now carry up to two liters of liquid while toiletries no longer have to be put in separate bags. The move comes with the installation of C3 scanners, first introduced at Teesside in March.
Meanwhile, other airports would follow suit as authorities have fixed a June 2024 deadline for most UK airports to install the machines after which passengers will no longer need to remove items such as tablets, laptops and liquids from hand luggage for security checks.
The existing rules were introduced in 2006 when British police claimed they had foiled a bid to blow up as many as 10 planes using explosives hidden in drinks. The 100-ml limit was replicated in other countries as well.
The test run of the technology was done more than a year ago and it has now went live with four of the new X-ray machines, similar to CT scanners used in hospitals.
The scanners would allow items such as water, shampoo and perfume to go through without causing any worries to the passengers who used to take out stuff one by one and placing it in different trays to get it checked thus delaying the process. Travelers were also upset at being made to throw away expensive items such as perfume or face cream or even gifts bought for their loved ones.
London City’s Chief Operating Officer Alison FitzGerald said the passenger journey would be much less stressful as they would not need to unload different items from hand luggage.
“The new process delivers a much more efficient security operation with enhanced security screening,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
The move would facilitate 4 million passengers who are expected to use the airport this year without much hassle and avoiding ‘put it out’ directives by the airport staff.
