Europe travel: Warning issued as EU airports reintroduce 100ml liquid limit rule after 'technical issue' with new security scanners

Some airports in the European Union (EU) had scrapped the strict 100ml restrictions on liquids, but were forced to reinstate their old policies on 1 September. Officials say the 100ml rule has returned while they troubleshoot an undisclosed technical issue with the new scanners.

The new scanners use CT X-ray technology that should enable larger volumes to liquids to go through security. Specific details surrounding the issue have been withheld, however, reports suggest that the scanners were not accurate for some liquid containers that were being carried in travellers' hand luggage. 

The Airports Council International (ACI) estimates that around 350 of the new scanning machines were in use across 13 EU countries. Most countries were still in the trial phase and had not yet relaxed their liquid restriction policies.

The EU Commission said its decision wasn't "in response to any new threat" but because of a temporary technical issue. It said information had indicated the scanners' performance "did not meet the standard for which it had been approved".

The UK was predicted to scrap its 100ml rules this year, but many airports did not meet the previous Tory Government's deadline to have the required state-of-the-art scanning equipment installed by June 2024. Smaller airports, including London City, Teesside, Newcastle, Leeds-Bradford, Aberdeen and Southend, successfully complied to the requirements and dropped the old liquids rules. But bigger airports like Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester did not meet the deadline. 

In mid-June the Department for Transport (DfT) re-introduced the 100ml policy at the few UK airports where it had been dropped, sparking outrage from airport bosses. Neither the European Commission nor the UK government have provided a timeline for when the rules will be relaxed again. Currently, all UK airports are operating the 100ml liquid rule, regardless of the scanners in place.