Birmingham Airport liquid rules: New rules come into effect ahead of summer holidays - what you need to know
Birmingham Airport has changes its liquid rules ahead of the summer holidays - delighting passengers.
The airport in the West Midlands is now allowing passengers to carry two-litre or smaller cans of liquids, pastes, and gels in their carry-on baggage. By doing this move, Birmingham Airport is taking a new path to reduce queue time and boost overall convenience to passengers, especially during high-season summer.
It means that the airport has officially scrapped its 100ml liquid rule. Passengers were previously limited by a strict 100ml restriction on liquids in their carry-on bags, which led to inconvenience and delays during peak periods. A new two-litre restriction will enable increased flexibility and the experience at the airport will become shorter and quicker for all concerned.
This policy change goes hand-in-hand with a significant boost to airport security infrastructure itself, including a £60 million investment in cutting-edge screening technology. These improvements allow Birmingham Airport to process passengers faster and more rapidly, with fewer and shorter delays and more streamlined operations.
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Airport security rules over liquids were implemented in 2006 following a foiled terror plot to blow up planes flying from London to the US with homemade liquid bombs. For the next two decades, strict hand luggage rules limited liquids to 100ml, and required them to fit into one clear plastic bag.
In June 2024, following a "state-of-the-art" security hall upgrade, the airport anticipated the two-litre rule would come into play, easing the restriction. It was one of a number of airports that updated equipment to include CT scanners which generate more detailed images of what is inside luggage.
But government concern over how the machines were working saw the 100ml limit re-imposed, and not lifted at all in Birmingham's case. Birmingham retained the 100ml liquids rule until regulatory approval was granted - which led to confusion from passengers and long queues inside the terminal last year, also caused by the usual summer peak crowds.
Now, after a record 1.3 million passengers travelled through the airport in June, airport chiefs confirmed they could finally "fully utilise" their "industry-leading next-generation security machinery" to allow passengers to travel outbound with up to two litres of liquids.