Strict liquid rules set to be enforced at all European airports this week – here’s everything you need to know

STRICT liquid rules are set to return at all airports throughout Europe this week, despite some installing new security scanners.

The scanners were set to change things for travellers, making it easier for them to bring liquids in their hand luggage.

Once they’re fully installed everywhere, holidaymakers will be able to take much more than 100ml per liquid bottle in their bags and they won’t need to take those bottles out to be scanned.

Electronic items like laptops and tablets will also be able to remain in bags while being processed by airport security.

These rule changes were brought in at some airports earlier this summer, with the new tech already up and running.

Several airports in the UK, as well as a few in Europe, like Munich Airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport, Milano Malpensa Airport and Frankfurt Airport already have the new scanners.

However, the European Commission has since reintroduced temporary restrictions on liquids, following a similar decision made by the UK government.

Therefore, passengers travelling from European airports will need to make sure their liquids do not exceed 100ml once again.

The rules come back into force from Sunday, September 1 – the end of this week – and are set to stay in place for an indefinite period of time, with no date yet announced for them to be lifted again.

It may be a while before they’re changed as well, with the EU wanting to wait until there is more consistency to the technology throughout its airports.

All airports operating inside the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Switzerland and Norway, will need to comply with the new rules.

The 100ml restrictions are already in place in the UK, with the Government reintroducing the measures on June 9, 2024 – even though several UK airports had new CT scanners installed at the time.

The news of the rule reversal wasn’t well received by the Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), who said they were “a blow to major investments” according to director Oliver Jankovec.

He told Travel Weekly: “Airports which have been early adopters of this new technology are being heavily penalised operationally and financially.

“They took the decision to invest and deploy C3 scanners in good faith, based on the EU having greenlighted this equipment without any restriction.

“The decision to now impose significant restrictions to their use questions the trust and confidence the industry can place in the current EU certification system for aviation security equipment.”

It appears that the UK will be among the first to have the scanners installed at all of its airports, with the previous government giving them a a deadline of June this year to have them in place.

Several have them in place now, but bigger airports like London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted and Manchester Airport have been given an extension until next summer.

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

It means that passengers, for the time being, are being advised to stick to the 100ml rules as they have done for years, since they were first introduced back in 2006.

Meanwhile, this is the advice from airline staff for not getting caught out at airport security.

And this dangerous mistake could leave your house unsafe when you’re on holiday.