Starting September 1, 2024, passengers flying from EU and UK airports will face new restrictions on carrying liquids in their cabin baggage.
Travelers will be limited to carrying no more than 100ml of liquids, aerosols, and gels, with exceptions only for prescribed medicines and baby food.
This change reverses a previous relaxation of liquid restrictions made possible by the installation of advanced C3 scanners, which could scan hand luggage in 3D.
Despite the scanners’ ability to reduce security queues and eliminate liquid limits, the European Commission has reinstated the ban as a preventive measure.
They cited concerns that the scanners did not meet the required performance standards and needed further software improvements.
The C3 scanners, also known as Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage, are costly—almost eight times the price of regular machines, with maintenance costs four times higher. Some airports avoided these high expenses.
However, major airports like Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid Barajas, and Barcelona El-Prat, as well as several others in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, and Malta, have adopted the technology. In the UK, six smaller airports have also installed C3 scanners.
Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe’s director general, highlighted the financial and operational penalties faced by airports that invested in the technology and called for improvements in the certification system to ensure legal certainty and operational stability.
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Travelers should stay updated on these changes to avoid disruptions during their journeys.
