Limits on liquids in cabin baggage could be removed by summer 2024 at major UK airports due to the use of advanced scanners.
Since 2006, passengers have been required to restrict liquids in bags carried on board flights to containers of no more than 100ml, which must be stored in clear plastic bags, amid security concerns.
Laptops must also be removed for inspection.
Passengers failing to remove items such as creams, bottles and laptops from their bags for inspection is the biggest cause of delays at airport security.
But both restrictions are now set to go, according to reports.
Large UK airports have been told to install advanced computerised tomography (CT) scanners, like those used in hospitals, which will allow airports to examine the items inside bags, by mid-2024.
A trial of the technology was announced in 2019, but the pandemic delayed the roll-out.
Former transport secretary Grant Shapps said at the time it could “mean an end to passengers having to use plastic bags or rationing what they take away with them” if it was successful.
Heathrow’s chief executive told The Times the airport was slowly rolling out the scanners.
John Holland-Kaye said: “We have just started the expansion of the security area in Terminal 3 which will have more CT scanners and have a deadline of mid-2024 from the DfT. By then the normal passenger experience will be that liquids stay in bags.”
The scanners, which are also currently being trialled at Gatwick, allow operators to inspect bags from every angle.
An official announcement is expected before Christmas.
The restrictions were brought in following a foiled plot in August 2006 to bring down as many as 10 passenger planes using explosives which were disguised as soft drinks.
For weeks almost all cabin baggage was banned on flights, except passports and wallets, and a total ban on liquids was in place for longer.
By November, liquids were again permitted in carry on bags, however, they had to be restricted to 100ml and fit in a clear plastic bag measuring no more than 20cm by 20cm.
Decades of flight: Heathrow through the years — in pictures
Laptops, tablets and cameras must also currently be removed from cabin bags.
The technology is already in use at Shannon airport in Ireland, where the 100ml rule has been scrapped. It said the introduction has halved the time passengers spend in security screening.
Consumer champion Which? recently revealed a list of the UK's worst airports for security queues.
Leeds Bradford was named the worst, with an estimated average wait time of 35 minutes.
London City was the best performing of the airports studied, with an average estimated security queue time of only 12 minutes. Half of its users reported a wait time of between five and 10 minutes.
Researchers asked about 1,300 people who travelled from a UK airport between February and August how long they had queued for security.
Airports and average waiting times
- 1 Leeds Bradford: 35 minutes
- 2 Bristol: 30 minutes
- 3= Birmingham: 24 minutes
- 3 = Manchester: 24 minutes
- 5 Heathrow: 20 minutes
- 6 Luton: 19 minutes
- 7= Stansted: 18 minutes
- 7= Belfast International: 18 minutes
- 9= Gatwick: 16 minutes
- 9= Edinburgh: 16 minutes
- 10 Newcastle: 15 minutes
- 11 Glasgow International: 13 minutes
- 12 Belfast City: 13 minutes
- 13 London City: 12 minutes
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The five pillars of Islam
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Scoreline
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Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
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