European airports have re-introduced strict cabin bag rules, meaning the blanket 100ml limit for liquids being carried in hand luggage has come into force again.
Some EU airports had scrapped the 100ml limit for liquids in cabin bags following the introduction of new security scanners.
But from Sunday (September 1), the rule has been reinstated because of a “temporary technical issue” with the new scanners, said reports.
It follows a similar move by the UK earlier this summer.
The European Commission had announced on July 29 that the maximum size allowed for individual liquid containers would revert back to 100ml from the start of September.
More: Blanket 100ml liquids restrictions to return at EU airports
The 100ml restrictions had been relaxed at a minority of airports which have installed C3 scanners, which use computer tomography (CT) technology to detect dangerous substances.
Where these are deployed, passengers have been allowed to carry liquids through security without a restriction and to keep liquids and large electronic devices in their cabin bags.
The UK government had sought to compel larger airports to install the CT scanners, setting a deadline of June 1 this year for them to do so, although it subsequently allowed a delay.
However, the government abruptly imposed restrictions on their use from June 9.
European airports association ACI Europe had denounced the new restrictions on the scanners’ use as “a blow to major investments by airports” and “a setback” to passengers.
There is no indication of how long the restrictions will remain in force, with ACI Europe noting there is “no timeline and no process in place to lift it”.
The EU restrictions apply throughout the 27 EU member states as well as in Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway, and they already apply in the UK.
C3 scanners have been deployed at six smaller airports in the UK and at Luton. In the EU, the scanners have been deployed by some airports in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Malta.