Is the 100 ml liquids rule gone?

Why the rule is changing

The 100 ml limit on liquids in hand luggage dates from November 2006, after a plot to bring down transatlantic flights with liquid explosives. It made every bottle a separate item to check by eye. The new generation of computed tomography (CT) scanners, similar to medical scanners, builds a 3D image of a bag and can analyse liquids inside it. Where an airport has them and the regulator has approved them, it can let passengers keep liquids and laptops in their bag and carry larger containers.

The roll-out has been uneven. In Europe the 100 ml limit came back at CT-equipped airports in September 2024 while the scanners were re-tested, and the restriction was lifted again in July 2025. Each airport now decides for itself, often lane by lane.

Where up to 2 litres is allowed

As of November 2026, these airports were reported to allow containers of up to 2 litres in hand luggage, at least on some lanes:

Several other European airports, including in Poland, Malta and the Baltic states, have added CT lanes, but rules vary by terminal and lane. Treat any list as a starting point and check your airport's own security page the week you fly.

Where 100 ml still applies

• Much of the EU. The Paris airports (for Paris), Madrid (Madrid), Lisbon (Lisbon) and Athens (Athens) were still applying 100 ml in 2026. Frankfurt and Munich have CT lanes in parts of the airport only.
• Other UK airports. Manchester, Stansted and Luton still applied 100 ml in 2026, though at some of them you no longer need to take liquids out of your bag.
• The United States. The TSA's 3-1-1 rule still applies at every US airport: containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, in one quart-sized bag per passenger.
• The UAE. Dubai International is rolling out CT scanners through 2026, so at many lanes you no longer need to take liquids and laptops out, but until the airport changes its published rule, plan on 100 ml. Abu Dhabi still applies 100 ml. Both matter for anyone flying home from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

The return-flight trap

The rule depends on the airport where you go through security, not the one you are flying to. A 400 ml bottle of sun cream that cleared Heathrow on the way out will be taken from you at security in Lisbon on the way home. Plan for the strictest airport on your itinerary, or buy the large bottle at your destination and leave what is left.

Connections and duty-free

Transfers are where liquids are most often lost. If you change planes and pass through security again, the transfer airport's rule applies, whatever you were allowed at the start.

• Duty-free bought at the airport or on board should stay sealed in its tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside. Do not open it until your final destination.
• Flights to the US are the strictest case. After landing at your first US airport you clear security again before a domestic connection, under the 100 ml rule; duty-free liquids over that size must go into checked luggage at that point.
• Medicines, baby milk and baby food needed for the journey are allowed above 100 ml almost everywhere, but may be tested. Carry prescriptions and keep them separate for screening.

How to check before you fly

The only reliable source is the airport's own security page, not an airline or a travel blog. Search the airport's name with "security liquids", check the date on the page, and look for whether the rule applies to every terminal or only some. If in doubt, pack to 100 ml: you lose nothing by being strict.

The carry-on packing guide covers how to go solid and avoid the question altogether, and the power-bank guide covers the other cabin rule that changed recently.