UK airport announces change to hand luggage liquid rules with 'immediate effect'

A UK airport has announced it is changing its rules on liquids in hand luggage with 'immediate effect'.

Bournemouth Airport released a statement on its website explaining the changes to the rules, which comes with the arrival of new scanning technology at the airport.

Passengers travelling from Bournemouth Airport will no longer have to remove liquids or large electrical items from their hand luggage when they go through the security scanners.

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In addition, liquids no longer need to be placed in a clear plastic bag. Passengers are still restricted to taking liquids in containers of up to 100ml, however.

In the statement, the airport said: "Bournemouth Airport has completed the process of installing and testing new security screening equipment to improve passenger security.

"For hand luggage this means that with immediate effect:

• Passengers flying from Bournemouth Airport can now leave liquids and large electrical items such as laptops in their cabin baggage.
• Passengers flying from Bournemouth Airport will no longer need to present liquids separately in a clear resealable plastic bag however, liquids are still restricted to containers of up to 100ml."

The airport urged passengers to check restrictions at other airports they may be travelling from as "many airports have not yet introduced this new technology" and they may still be required to carry liquids in clear plastic bags.

It comes after liquid rules for hand luggage had to be reinstated at some airports that had already installed the new scanners earlier this year.

The government is requiring all airports to install the new scanners, which will allow liquids of up to two litres in volume to be stored in hand luggage when passengers go through security. Bigger airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester all missed a deadline for installing the technology of June 1 this year due to 'logistical challenges', according to the BBC.

However, a number of smaller airports had all complied on time and dropped the old liquid rules as a result – some as early as spring 2023. The six airports were London City, Teesside, Newcastle, Leeds-Bradford, Aberdeen and Southend.

In June, the Department for Transport (DfT) unexpectedly announced that the old rule – only allowing liquids, gels and pastes under 100ml to be taken through security – would be reinstated at all airports. At the time the DfT said: “This temporary move is to enable further improvements to be made to the new checkpoint systems and will only affect a small number of passengers.”

A spokesperson said the move of reintroducing the restrictions "only affects those travelling from six regional airports where next generation security checkpoints (NGSC) were already in full operation – around 6 per cent of all UK air passengers".