UK airports update on when new £60m security scanners will cut queues for good

Boris Johnson vowed the liquid limits astatine airdrome information would beryllium lifted by 2022 but 3 years later, and galore UK airports inactive haven't rolled them out.

The days of frantically unloading fractional your luggage astatine airdrome information are astir implicit - but not conscionable yet. The UK's busiest airports person confirmed enactment is inactive ongoing to instal them aft years of delays.

It each started backmost successful 2019, erstwhile ex-Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged the 100ml bounds connected liquids, aerosols, and gels (referred to arsenic LAGs) would beryllium eased astatine large UK airports wrong 3 years. It would people the extremity of a 'temporary' measurement brought successful pursuing a information menace successful 2006 wherever a violent had plotted to stroke up a level from Heathrow.

Security queues tin beryllium lengthy during highest periods, arsenic travellers frantically unload their bags into boxes acceptable for the scanners. And it's not unheard of to miss a formation owed to immense delays successful security. The caller shake-up promises to destruct the emptying of bags, and the request to enactment liquids successful a wide bag. The caller security scanners are acceptable to usage computed tomography (CT) to analyse the molecular operation of a passenger's bag. It's a akin process to a aesculapian scan you whitethorn person successful a hospital, and tin analyse whether liquids and electronics airs a menace - without them being removed.

But replacing each information lane with these caller scanners takes clip - and the pandemic had a immense interaction connected the planetary proviso chain. Rishi Sunak's authorities truthful ended up giving large airports an hold to June 2024. It warned those who neglect to conscionable the deadline would beryllium slapped with 'serious fiscal penalties'. However, conscionable a week aft the deadline - which saw airports similar Birmingham walk £60 cardinal connected upgrading to Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC), the authorities stipulated everyone had to spell backmost to the 100ml LAGs limit.

While the caller scanners hadn't been compromised, caller concerns meant airports were ordered to re-restrict liquids. Electronics were not impacted by the ruling. So, present successful 2025, however acold are we from having our information acquisition shortened for good?

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London Gatwick

Speaking to the Mirror, London Gatwick says it has made 'significant progress' erstwhile it comes to installing 'state of the art, next-generation information scanners'. It expects to person completed what it describes arsenic a 'major logistical operation' to instal each scanners crossed some the North and South Terminals successful Q1 this year.

"The airport's concern successful this caller exertion means erstwhile the caller scanners are phased in, the information process volition beryllium transformed with passengers nary longer required to region electrical items oregon enactment liquids successful integrative bags," a spokesperson added. "The caller scanners volition supply high-quality X-ray images of compartment bags, with the information of passengers the airport's highest priority."

Manchester, East Midlands and Stansted Airports

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) - which owns Manchester, East Midlands, and Stansted Airport, besides noted 'good progress'. "This is simply a analyzable programme of enactment requiring the enlargement of terminal facilities, portion astatine the aforesaid clip maintaining operations during construction," a MAG spokesperson told us.

"We are presently rolling retired the caller exertion lane-by-lane astatine Manchester and London Stansted airports. Work is besides underway connected large operation projects astatine some Manchester and East Midlands airports to grow the size of the terminals to accommodate the caller equipment." MAG confirmed that it already has the caller scanners successful spot connected a 'large fig of lanes' and expects afloat completion of the programme this year.

London Heathrow

While Heathrow Airport did not privation to supply remark connected its caller information scanners, it ensured the Mirror it is making bully advancement and moving with the authorities to conscionable timelines. No nonstop numbers were shared owed to information reasons.

The Mirror has contacted the Department for Transport to enquire whether a caller deadline for the information scanners has been set.

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