Heathrow's new scanners end dreaded rummage for liquids and laptops

FILE PHOTO: Screens display information on arrivals at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 in Greater London, Britain, Sept 20, 2025. REUTERS

Passengers will no longer be forced to dig around in their hand luggage to extract shampoos, water bottles and laptops when travelling through security at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, thanks to new specialist scanners.

Heathrow said on Friday that all security lanes across its four terminals were now operating the CT security scanners, which it said made it the largest airport in the world to fully roll out this technology.

Queues permitting, travellers will be able to get through security without needing to decant their liquid containers into small plastic bags, or take out their tablets as they can all now be checked via the high-resolution 3D imaging used by the scanners.

Many airports globally are bringing in the machines to speed up security, with airports in New York, Hong Kong and Dubai all starting to use them.

Depending on each country's regulations, the machines mean passengers are able to carry containers of up to 2 litres through security, ending a 20-year-old rule on 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) bottles, which created a market for miniature toiletries.

Britain introduced the 100-ml liquid rule at airports in 2006 when police foiled a militant attack plot involving liquid explosives at Heathrow.

Heathrow, which said the technology upgrade had cost it 1 billion pounds ($1.35 billion), is in the process of applying to build a new third runway.