UK airport security liquids rule status as of 2025

There is certainly no change to date and I'm not aware of any news suggesting an immediate change.

Sigh. I was hoping it would be relaxed this year at Heathrow but haven’t heard anything new. The new CT scanners are heavier than the old X Ray scanners. There are many lanes in many of the terminals and each one needs a new scanner. The increased weight apparently caused structural problems and subsequently requires floor strengthening.

I'll add a reply to my own question. I departed out of Terminal 3 this week on AA to ORD. It seems the whole checkpoint I went through had the new scanners. There were also arches between which you wait while getting checked by the agent rather than the usual metal detectors, and a separate foot scanner to reduce the need of body searches.

The whole process was pretty seamless, and my bags were waiting for me at the end of the lane by the time I got cleared (no additional alarms were set off. In my experience, because I prepare well for security at European airports, my security times range from 2 minutes to max 10 minutes or so. This time was no different.

There was another checking area with the older style of security in T3. I can't tell, but it may have been the one for flight connections. It seems LHR was doing some construction in the area near my checkpoint to restructure the floors so they can accommodate the heavier infrastructure.

All in all, a worthwhile, albeit delayed investment in airport security. The previous model was pretty time consuming and at times inconvenient. Though liquids for now should remain in containers under 100 mL, the long run goal is to have the liquids rule abolished. If that is the final outcome, I can sense better days ahead for the airport experience in Britain.

Edit: I received a response from Heathrow when I emailed them about the potential completion date. As of now, they have said "we are hopeful that the CT scanners will be fully updated by July 2025". Only time will tell if this remains the case.

I went through Glasgow on Monday. Nothing had to come out of the bags.

I went through Edinburgh 3 days ago and LHR Terminal 2 2 days ago. Nothing came out of bags.

As of early July 2025, two major airports, Birmingham (BHX) and Edinburgh (EDI) in Britain have scrapped liquid rules, increasing the minimum quantity to be 2 Liters instead of 100 milliliters. There is also no need to put liquids in plastic bags/keep 1 bag per traveller. To be sure, not all airports in the UK have made these changes yet, so check website of the airport you are departing from for confirmation.

Hopefully this time it is for good. I hope Heathrow and the other larger hubs follow soon. It will be nice to take more liquids with me inflight (water, toiletries, etc.).

Sources:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/aviation-security-liquids-birmingham-edinburgh-airport-b2783967.html

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/airport-liquids-rule-change-news-8xp55btkm

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/35734836/two-uk-airports-100ml-liquid-rule-scrapped/

I flew back to the states from Heathrow in April and nothing had to come out when I went through security, so it sounds like Heathrow, Glasgow and Edinburgh are all on board with it.

@Mardee For LHR, it depends on the lane. I think most should have the new scanners in place, but there are still a number of checking areas with the older infrastructure, hence the lack of any changes displayed on their website. But they have definitely made a lot of progress in their implementation, albeit at a very delayed pace (though still relatively quick, by British standards, due to being only 3 years past the original deadline of 2022).

Most airports that have the new scanners seem to still keep the 100 mL rule, but not require plastic bags/1 bag per passenger. Gatwick is a case in point. I suspect this will adjust in the near future to match the newer rules.

I will be so glad to see the back of this rule, I absolutely hate it. I can confirm at Luton and Gatwick you no longer need to remove anything from your bags when they go thru the scanner.

At Gatwick two weeks ago there was no need to remove electrical items from your bag however the 100ml liquid limit was still in place. LHR last week from T2 had to remove electricals and liquid rule in place likewise the fast track at the BA Club check in at T5 was still implementing all the rules a month ago.