Major UK airport SCRAPS hated hand luggage rule just in time for summer holidays

A MAJOR airport has scrapped a hated hand luggage rule just in time for the summer holidays.

Brits jetting abroad via Birmingham Airport this summer will be pleased to know that getting through security will become much easier.

The airport is understood to be on track to complete its £60 million “state-of-the-art” security hall upgrade by its June deadline, which will transform how passengers queue, transit to airside and carry liquids.

However, ahead of the June 1 deadline, the airport appears to have rolled out some of these changes early.

They key one being that customers no longer need to remove their liquids, which should be under 100ml, from out of their hand luggage.

In fact, liquids can remain in hand luggage loose, but the airport has warned that for now, liquids still cannot exceed 100ml.

The current 100ml liquid regulations were initially brought in as a temporary measure back in 2006, but have remained in place ever since.

Currently holidaymakers have to remove all liquids and electrics from their bags and place them in clear plastic bags on separate trays.

But the new security checkpoints feature a specific type of x-ray scanner, which allows passengers to leave their liquids and electronics in their hand luggage.

With more than 200,000 customers flying out through BHX this half-term, the change will have a significant impact on how customers transit through to airside.

However until the new system goes live, it is important to remember that passengers will need to continue adhering to the 100ml hand luggage limit.

Once the new security hall is operating fully by June, the 100ml liquid rule will also be scrapped.

The new limit will be two litres, once the technology is fully up and running in time for the summer holidays.

The scanners also mean travellers will no longer need to remove liquids and laptops from their bags when passing through airport security.

This will make the process of getting to departure gates much quicker and less stressful.

Luton and Bristol airports are also aiming to introduce the new technology by June, with the latter said to be investing more than £10million in the new security equipment.

Teesside airport is one of two, alongside London City airport, to have already installed them.

However, it will be some time before the new 3D scanning systems are in place at all UK airports, with most of the major ones set to miss the deadline put in place by the government.

Despite all airports initially being given a deadline of June 2024 by the Department for Transport (DfT) several major airports have fallen behind.

The likes of London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester have all been given an extension until summer 2025 to make sure they have fully installed the new scanners.

Work has begun on implementing the new technology, but they haven’t been able to complete a full transfer from the old scanners.

Gatwick expects to have the remaining scanners in place by the first three months of 2025, which is a said to be a similar time frame to both Stansted and Manchester.

Structural problems, and keeping security operations up and running while installing the new machines, have been the source of most of the delays.

The rules requiring liquids to be taken through security in 100ml or under and in a clear plastic bag were introduced in 2006 after a plot to bomb a transatlantic flight was scuppered.

Meanwhile, these two items commonly cause problems for passengers at airport security.

And this airport security guard has revealed the mistakes that hold people up on the way to their departure gates.