London City Airport will be first to drop 100ml hand baggage liquids rule

New scanning machines will allow passengers to carry up to two litres of liquid in their hand baggage

New scanners at London City Airport will mean passengers can follow new security rules on liquids and laptops. EPA

Passenger transit times are expected to get much faster at London City Airport in the run-up to Easter.

One of the biggest causes of delays at airport security checkpoints is people failing to take items out of their hand luggage or tying to travel with large bottles of liquids or creams.

Passengers will be allowed to carry two litres of liquid in their hand luggage and will not have to remove their laptops, because new computed tomography scanning machines are being installed at the airport.

London City airport is way ahead of schedule – the 100ml limit rule on liquids was dropped by the government in December, and airports were given until mid-2024 to install new scanning machines.

At the time, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "Of course, this won’t happen straight away – this is going to take two years to be fully implemented. Until then, passengers must continue following the existing rules and check before travelling."

More than a year ahead of the pack

At London City Airport, the scanners that enable the new rules to take effect should all be installed by the end of March, in time for the Easter holidays and more than a year ahead of the government's deadline.

"The good news for anyone planning a holiday or a business trip is that we will be the first mainstream UK airport to offer a fully CT security experience from the end of this month," said Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London City Airport.

"The new lanes will not only cut hassle, but also cut queuing times, which I know passengers will love.”

London City Airport already has two of the new CT scanners up and running, meaning that passengers in the lanes with them can leave liquids and laptops in their hand luggage. The installation of a third by the end of March means all passengers will be able to observe the new rules.

The 100ml rule was introduced after a 2006 terrorist plot to use liquid explosives to bring down planes flying from Heathrow across the Atlantic was thwarted.