UK airport security rules: all you need to know

Many airline passengers say the worst a part of any journey is the airport safety examine. Worldwide, a mean of half a million people pass through airport security every hour. Travellers resent the restrict on LAGs (liquids, aerosols and gels) in cabin baggage, in addition to the duty to extract electronics comparable to laptops and tablets from hand baggage.

The liquids guidelines had been launched rapidly worldwide in 2006 as “a short lived measure” to guard in opposition to explosives. Regardless of repeated guarantees they continue to be in place.

In 2019 Boris Johnson vowed the principles can be eased at main UK airports by 2022, permitting bigger portions and eliminating the necessity to have liquids individually scanned. Rishi Sunak’s authorities then prolonged that deadline to 1 June 2024.

Whereas a number of the UK’s airports complied, at different places the work was not quick sufficient to satisfy the June deadline.

Per week after the deadline, progress in aviation safety truly went into reverse, with the Division for Transport (DfT) ordering airports with the new equipment to restore the old 100ml limit on LAGs.

There may be, although, a level of enchancment: passengers can depart laptops, tablets and liquids inside their cabin baggage the place the brand new scanners are fitted.

The Impartial has learnt that almost all of main airports are absolutely fitted with the costly new equipment.

Simon Calder, former safety officer at Gatwick airport and present Impartial journey correspondent, explains extra.

Cabin baggage: what are the principles?

The checklist of things that can not be taken via an airport safety checkpoints in carry-on luggage has elevated over the a long time. Prohibitions have developed in response to terrorist assaults – profitable and in any other case.

All weapons, whether or not firearms, knives or explosives, are banned from hand baggage. However there are additionally strict guidelines about bigger portions of liquids, aerosols, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics, extending even to yoghurt, delicate cheese and Creme Eggs.

Passengers ought to assume that no container for any liquid, aerosol or gel might be above 100ml.

Are all airports on the identical web page?

No. At some airports, LAGs should nonetheless be carried inside a resealable clear plastic bag with a most quantity of 1 litre, and eliminated for the safety examine. However at many UK airports with superior gear already put in, the liquids might be left within the passenger’s baggage. These embrace:

At different key airports, the set up of latest era equipment is nicely below method – however some previous tech stays. These embrace:

How did the liquids rule come about?

In August 2006 the aviation business – and baffled passengers – awoke to seek out safety guidelines for passengers had tightened in a single day. The federal government introduced that it had uncovered a terror plot to blow up transatlantic jets from Heathrow to North America.

The perpetrators aimed to take the substances for improvised explosive units on board a lot of plane. The substances, derived from hydrogen peroxide, had been meant to be smuggled aboard in delicate drink containers. The plotters aimed to assemble the bombs on board earlier than detonating them and destroying the aircraft. They had been later convicted of offences together with conspiracy to homicide and conspiracy to trigger explosions.

The bosses of Britain’s airways had been referred to as within the early hours of 10 August 2006 to be informed their passengers can be banned from carrying something greater than a handbag or pockets into an plane cabin. Even pens had been banned from transatlantic flights, on the grounds that the ink they contained was a liquid.

One concession was made, for nursing moms: they may take milk for his or her child via the checkpoint, however provided that they tasted it first in entrance of safety employees to reveal it was the actual factor.

Baggage methods couldn’t address two or thrice the traditional variety of objects, and Heathrow airport floor nearly to a standstill. Flight networks elsewhere within the UK and Europe had been additionally affected.

Three months later, the principles had been eased – however with strict limits that prevail at this time at nearly all UK and abroad airports.

Had been they at all times meant to be everlasting?

No. The boundaries had been launched as a “short-term measure” whereas airport safety expertise caught up. However progress has been painfully gradual.

Even a really modest leisure of the principles – to permit airport purchases of drinks to be taken via checkpoints in a sealed “safety tamper-evident bag” (Steb) – took years to be carried out. Many passengers are nonetheless being caught out, dropping their costly airport purchases, as a result of duty-free drinks will not be allowed via the airport the place they modify planes.

Is there a technological answer?

Sure. Trendy scanners use computed tomography (CT) – the identical expertise as medical scanners – to analyse the molecular construction of the contents of a passenger’s bag. The machines can detect potential threats and current safety officers with a three-dimensional picture of the contents.

They’ll additionally analyse whether or not laptops and different digital gear current a hazard.

At airports the place the expertise is put in, liquids and laptops now not should be eliminated.

The intention is that safety needs to be enhanced, with extra subtle evaluation of potential threats. The quantity of employees time consumed in “secondary searches” needs to be diminished, permitting officers to spend extra time assessing passenger behaviour.

Travellers have a a lot simpler expertise: they now not want deconstruct their cabin luggage, and the entire airport course of feels a lot smoother and fewer aggravating.

That sounds nice – so what are we ready for?

The brand new equipment was first utilized in Europe at Shannon in the west of Ireland, the place “liquids, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics in containers of any measurement” have been allowed via safety since March 2022.

To cut back stress for passengers and improve safety, in 2019 the government told all major UK airports to have advanced CT scanners at security checkpoints by 1 December 2022. However the deadline was missed.

Throughout the Covid pandemic, airports confronted catastrophic losses as passenger numbers collapsed. The duty to make the multi-million pound funding required was lifted.

In 2022, the then-transport secretary Mark Harper promised the airport expertise would change into simpler from 1 June 2024: “The tiny toiletry has change into a staple of airport safety checkpoints, however that’s all set to vary. I’m streamlining cabin bag guidelines at airports whereas enhancing safety.

“By 2024, main airports throughout the UK can have the newest safety tech put in, lowering queuing occasions, enhancing the passenger expertise, and most significantly detecting potential threats.”

How did that end up?

Badly, with the overwhelming majority of airports failing to satisfy the deadline. They embrace the UK’s 4 largest airports, which deal with a lot of the nation’s passengers: Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.

A senior aviation determine, Jonathan Hinkles, informed Airliner World: “For airports – many nonetheless battling to restore their monetary stability sheets after the pandemic – the massive price of this new gear is an unwelcome burden.

“The federal government-imposed deadline date disadvantaged them of any actual means to barter costs with suppliers of the brand new gear, and far of the brand new equipment is popping up late too.”

In April 2024, the federal government stated: “We recognise that putting in the brand new safety gear at busy airports has been a logistical problem, with some airports having to undertake important development work to permit the brand new, extraordinarily heavy gear to be fitted. In some circumstances, airports have been required to assemble fully new screening halls.”

Mr Harper stated: “It’s necessary we give these airports but to satisfy the deadline a second probability to get the job completed.”

The then-transport secretary stated aviation security regulation can be modified so non-compliant airports might be fined – although that laws was scuppered by the election being referred to as.

Some complied, although?

Sure. Seven airports met the 1 June 2024 deadline: Aberdeen, Newcastle, Teesside, Leeds Bradford, Birmingham, Southend and London Metropolis. As well as, Bristol airport says it’ll have the brand new gear absolutely in place by 14 June 2024.

They noticed having the equipment in place as a aggressive benefit, with the promise of an nearly full leisure of the liquids rule – with as much as 2 litres being allowed via.

However in a shock transfer, from 9 June 2024 they had been ordered to revive the 100ml restrict. It was not a whole reversal; passengers will nonetheless be capable of depart liquids, aerosols, gels, and so on, of their cabin baggage. They need to, although, be in containers of 100ml or much less.

Why did that occur?

It was not the airports’ alternative. At London Metropolis and Teesside, for instance, the brand new scanners have been working nicely for over a yr.

A Division for Transport spokesperson stated: “This short-term transfer is to allow additional enhancements to be made to the brand new checkpoint methods.”

Mr Harper later stated: “We’ve reintroduced that rule whereas updates, modifications are made to the scanning gear on the airport to ensure we are able to proceed delivering our world-leading ranges of aviation safety.”

The Impartial understands the transfer has nothing to do with fears of weaker aviation safety. As a substitute, it resulted from issues about lengthy queues at UK airports because the summer season rush – amplified by soccer followers departing for Euro 2024 in Germany.

Ministers concern that delays at safety checkpoints might construct up as a result of the brand new gear is mis-identifying many innocuous objects in passengers’ baggage as posing a menace.

Sources have informed The Impartial that innocent liquids comparable to sunscreen have been misidentified as high-threat substances. The potential converse is that harmful liquids might be handed as protected.

Whereas safety has by no means been compromised, a lot of airports utilizing the brand new scanners have skilled lengthy queues attributable to a higher-than-expected rejection fee, with safety officers obliged to hold out hand searches of cabin baggage.

On a number of events whereas passing via checkpoints at non-fully compliant airports with the brand new equipment, I’ve witnessed the system snarling up because of the giant variety of luggage required to endure a hand search – and gone from imagining I had loads of time for a espresso earlier than the flight to sprinting to the gate.

If sunscreen reveals up as a attainable menace, why does the amount matter?

As a result of the 100ml restrict was chosen as a sufficiently low quantity to keep away from an on-board menace. Successfully, the airports with new scanners can move luggage that may in any other case be rejected. The intention is to hurry up the method and scale back queues.

When everybody is prepared, will that be the tip of issues?

Not essentially: passenger confusion is a continuing downside for aviation safety. It was troublesome sufficient conveying the 2 units of guidelines, “previous” and “new”, for objects carried in cabin baggage. Due to the publicity surrounding light-touch safety at a handful of airports, there are fears that travellers could infer guidelines have modified in all places.

Worldwide, lack of conformity is a key difficulty for aviation safety professionals – and passengers.

At many airports liquids are restricted however can keep within the traveller’s bag. Laptops and tablets comparable to iPads should be eliminated within the UK and plenty of different international locations, however in some nations they needn’t be.

The European Union (and wider Schengen Space) has additionally reverted to the “previous” guidelines in any respect airports from 1 September 2024, following issues in regards to the new gear put in at some airports. Olivier Jankovec, director common of the airports’ physique ACI Europe, stated: “These airports which have been early adopters of this new expertise are being closely penalised each operationally and financially.”

In Israel, procedures are fully totally different. The authorities say: “Passengers ought to arrive three hours previous to departure for the safety examine process.” There may be generally intense questioning by officers, and laptops should be eliminated. However liquids are permitted with out restriction.

The primary difficulty: passengers shouldn’t count on aviation safety to be the identical worldwide – and even UK-wide. At some small Scottish airports including Barra, Campbeltown and Tiree there have been no security checks since 2017.

Is that this going to price me extra?

The airports which can be collectively investing a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of kilos can be looking for a return – and that might embrace elevating charges. However the long-term intention is that new tech ought to reduce employees prices, representing financial savings for airports.

Willie Walsh, director-general of the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (Iata) – representing airways worldwide – stated: “Implementing this expertise shouldn’t include an enormous invoice. Actually, simplified processes ought to ship important efficiencies.”

“Speedy deployment needs to be attainable. The expertise has already been used efficiently and for a very long time at numerous airports internationally with measurable enhancements to the passenger expertise.”

Will aviation safety stay a everlasting ache?

No. In 2019 Iata described the prevailing safety scenario as “now not sustainable”. It has been working with airports for over a decade on a mission referred to as “Good Safety”.

Finally walk-through steel detectors and safety pat-down of many passengers needs to be eradicated, with expertise assessing attainable threats extra successfully than people watching screens.

The passenger ought to be capable of stroll unchallenged alongside a hall flanked by detectors, barely conscious that they’re being checked.

Checkpoints will nonetheless be staffed, however safety personnel can be freed as much as do what individuals do finest, which is to review the behaviour of passengers and determine “individuals of curiosity” for additional investigation.

Nevertheless, because the reversals at UK and EU airports present, there’s a lengthy approach to go.