Analysis: Why restrictions remain on liquids in cabin bags

The 100ml restrictions on liquids in hand luggage at airports, largely in place since 2006, were supposed to be gone by now, at least in the UK.

 

They have not, despite repeated announcements to the contrary. A major reason is that safety certification for computer tomography (CT) scanners which produce 3D X-ray images of up to two litres of liquids in passengers’ hand baggage was abruptly withdrawn last summer.

 

Richard Thompson, portfolios, innovation and digital vice-president at Smiths Detection, which makes the only CT scanners currently approved for screening liquids, aerosols and gels of more than 100ml in bags – the Hi-SCAN 6040 CTiX scanner – explained that as installation was proceeding last summer: “We were notified we were required to do additional testing.

 

“What we needed to test against is sensitive information, but the two-litre allowance was retracted. We went back to 100ml, and the regulator rewrote the testing methodology, challenging us all to rewrite the algorithms.

 

“We rewrote the algorithms quickly, literally in a couple of months, but it has taken ages to get [the test results] through the labs. There was testing and re-testing, and although you might pass a test in Germany and the German authorities are happy with the results, you still can’t get over the restrictions in other European countries.

 

“We’ve been slowly getting through national testing in the last four to five months. [But] we’re not back to where we were last year when all 44 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) issued a [common] stamp of approval certifying a scanner as good for screening up to two litres of liquid.

 

“We’ve put an awful lot of time, effort, money and people into ensuring we get the results the regulators want, and that is where we are today – the only vendor with this [scanner certified to the current requirements].”

 

The roll-out of the Smiths Detection CT scanners is fairly advanced, Thompson said, explaining: “We’re in the middle of the roll‑out at larger airports.”

 

He added: “The benefits of CT scanners over conventional X-ray scanners are wonderful. You don’t have to unpack your bag, so the journey through security is quicker. Airports are happy because they move passengers quicker, they need fewer trays and less infrastructure, the security outcome is improved, and passengers are happier. They can leave liquids in bags and, in theory, have up to two litres of liquid.”

 

Smiths has captured about half the CT scanner market, but it’s up to each airport to decide on the technology they use. So, for passengers, the changes in passing through security will not amount to much for the time being even with CT scanners in place because deployment of them is “patchy”, according to Thompson, and some airports – such as Manchester and Stansted – have partnered with manufacturers whose scanners have yet to be certified.

 

Thompson said air passengers should continue to “expect to use 100ml containers, and if you don’t have to remove stuff from your bag, it’s a bonus”.

 

UK airports lead the way in installation

 

UK airports have more CT scanners installed than anywhere else in the world and the scanner roll-out here is among the most advanced.

 

That is because the previous government unilaterally imposed a deadline of June 1, 2024, on airports handling more than one million passengers a year to install and deploy 3-D scanners. The airports were barely consulted but bore the cost, passing it on to airlines and therefore to passengers – and the scanners, their installation and maintenance are expensive, costing about £1 million per security lane.

 

Yet 14 months on from that deadline, the scanners cannot be used as designed and, of the four largest UK airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted, which between them handled 188 million or two-thirds of all UK passengers last year – only Gatwick has wholly deployed 3-D scanners.

 

They are installed at Heathrow but not right across the airport yet, while Manchester and Stansted currently have no machines certified for scanning liquids of more than 100ml, according to Smiths Detection.

 

Thompson said: “We’re well over halfway through the deployment at Heathrow, which hit the compliance level for screening an appropriate percentage of passengers [with 3-D scanners] by June so is more or less there.

 

“[But] Manchester Airports Group which owns Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands decided to go with a different manufacturer, a competitor that does not yet have the liquids approval we have. We’re the only vendor which has achieved that certification.”

 

Four out of five UK air passengers fly to EU destinations, with the US by far the biggest destination beyond the EU. Passengers will find liquids restrictions almost wholly in place for their return flights since few EU or US airports have begun deploying CT scanners and almost all are behind the UK in installing them.

 

Thompson said: “Certain countries, such as the UK and Australia, mandated the roll-out of CT scanners. But there has not been the same pressure in Europe, so France and Spain have taken longer. We have scanners at airports operated by Airports de Paris, but they’re further behind than others on roll-out.

 

“Spain is the same. Most airports in Spain have contracted with us but are very early on in their deployment.

 

“Italian airports have been keen to get the two-litre restriction lifted because they sell a lot of wine and olive oil and are having to take a lot of that out of people’s bags, so Rome and Milan airports are finished.

 

“Germany is over halfway through its roll-out. But Brussels awarded the contract to a competitor so doesn’t have certification. In the Middle East, we’ve just secured Dubai, but not Abu Dhabi or Qatar.”

 

Scanner deployment depends on airport investment

 

The extent of deployment of the scanners depends on whether airports invest in them, whether there is external pressure on them to invest and, for now, which scanner manufacturer an airport contracts with, if at all.

 

Thompson said: “We estimate 700 CT scanners in total have been sold so far in Europe, and we’ve sold more than half of those. In the UK, there are probably 250-300 3-D scanners [installed or being installed] out of the 700 in Europe. Heathrow has about 150 of these and Gatwick about 50.

 

“We’ll probably sell about another 50 in the UK, but the UK is way ahead. Probably about 1,200 of the scanners win total will be required in Europe.

 

“Globally, we’ve sold about 1,200, so we have the lion’s share of 3-D scanners installed and we estimate we’re more than halfway through the global deployment. About 2,500 CT scanners have been sold in total, so there are probably another 2,500-3,000 still to go.”

 

Yet as things stand, at least half the CT scanners sold and being installed around the world are not yet certified for screening cabin baggage liquids above 100ml. They allow liquids and laptops to remain bags rather than be removed at security, which is something.

 

But the 100ml restrictions remain and will do until all types of 3-D scanner are certified to screen up to two litres of liquid and they have been deployed universally.