The European Commission has mandated that European airports, which had recently acquired new scanners for expedited hand luggage screening, reinstate restrictions on carrying liquids.
Starting September 1, 2024, all airports in the EU, as well as those in Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway, will be required to limit liquids in hand luggage to containers of 100 ml or less. This new rule reverses a previous decision allowing the relaxation of liquid restrictions, which had been in place since 2006.
To lift these restrictions, airports had invested in new C3 hand luggage scanners, which use computed tomography technology to inspect the contents of travelers’ bags. Airports in Amsterdam, Helsinki, and Tallinn had already installed these scanners, allowing passengers departing from these cities to carry liquids without restriction and eliminating the need to remove liquids, cameras, laptops, and other electronics for screening.
According to the European Commission’s decision 2024/2108, dated July 29, 2024, the current settings of the new scanners need to be reviewed to enhance their performance, and the old restrictions are being reinstated as a precautionary measure. However, the European Commission has not specified when these restrictions might be lifted.
