London airport scraps previous rules around security checks

Airport security checks in the UK could soon look very different

Spring is finally here, and lots of people will be be heading overseas to catch some sun rays in the months to come.

Travelling abroad is often an exciting time, whether people are going on holiday, or visiting friends and family who live in other countries.

However, one part of the trip which can be very stressful are the security checks at airports in the UK.

Especially when you have to get all your liquid and electronics devices out of your bag... and worry about what you've forgotten to take out as it goes through the machine.

Travellers will no longer need to remove electronics from their bags

Lots of travellers will be familiar with having to limit the volume of liquids they bring in their hand luggage, and at many airports, customers are also required to remove electronics like phones, laptops, chargers and tablets from their bags while going through security.

It's not unusual to see lengthy queues of people making their way through these checks and the current rules on liquids and electronics can make the process even longer.

However, this could all soon be a thing of the past.

London City Airport has scrapped the rules around limits on liquids and electronic items.

It's because it's introduced special scanners which take high-resolution 3D images of bags, meaning travellers will no longer need to remove items from their hand luggage when they're being checked.

All airports in the UK will need to introduce the scanners by June 2024

The hi-tech scanners are able to quickly detect whether there is anything dangerous in any bags within seconds.

It also means passengers can now leave up to two litres of liquid in their hand luggage at security.

The airport had become the second to relax the rules, with Teesside making the change last month.

"The whole process is quicker on the basis that previously you needed to empty your bag and put that in multiple trays whereas now it's one bag in one tray and you don't need to take everything out," said Alison FitzGerald from London City Airport.

What about other airports?

Lots of airports struggle with long queues at their security check points

The government has set a deadline for all UK airports to install the high-tech scanners by June 2024, but for now, most airports still have the old measures in place, with the larger ones rolling out the new technology gradually.

Heathrow Airport trialled 3D scanners in 2017 and said that as they have more security lanes than any other airport, installing the new machines was "always going to be complex and take longer".

Gatwick is currently trialling 19 of its security lanes with the new technology, but a spokesperson said passengers should continue to follow all existing rules.

Other airports told the BBC they had no specific date for introducing the new system, but confirmed they would make changes by the government deadline.