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Experimenting with 3D scanners could once again allow bottles of more than 100 ml to be slipped into cabin baggage when going through security checks at the airport. By 2024, the United Kingdom could take this step, which would reduce the plastic waste generated by this measure.
Following a terrorist’s attempt to blow up a flight using potentially dangerous liquid material, a limit of 100ml of liquids was imposed in November 2006 for all hand luggage checked at the airport. For more than ten years, the repeal of this measure, which has led to the use of a large quantity of plastic – not only must suitable small bottles be used, but in addition the containers concerned must be slipped into plastic bags with a maximum capacity of liter, is put on the table.
“As early as 2007, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to repeal the ban as soon as possible without endangering the safety of passengers“, indicates the European institution. And to recall “At the end of April 2011, European states were supposed to relax the measures by authorizing the transport of liquids purchased in duty free in third countries. However, faced with the intransigence of certain States which feared too much ‘confusion’ for passengers, the European Commission backtracked and announced that the ban should be lifted in 2013, when new detection gates hazardous liquids will have been put in place at all airports“.
According to the bbc, the United Kingdom could finally put an end to this limit thanks to the use of 3D scanners, deployed in 2024. The experimentation is not new: since 2017, these robots have been tested at London’s Heathrow airport. In the United States, the airports of Atlanta and Chicago already use them while passengers on domestic flights in Australia, Japan and Brazil are no longer forced to keep their soap in a container of 100 ml maximum.
It remains to be seen how soon this binding limit will be lifted everywhere in Europe. According to Le Figaro, tests are underway at Orly 3 to verify the effectiveness of these 3D scanners. “We are currently testing new explosives detection equipment for cabin baggage, which means that electronic devices and liquids can no longer be removed, which makes it easier for passengers to prepare for security checks.“, learned the daily from Aéroports de Paris.