Liquids in hand luggage 2026: 100 ml or 2 litres? UK and Irish airports with new scanners
Heathrow, Gatwick, Dublin and Shannon allow containers of up to 2 litres; Manchester, Stansted and Cork are still on 100 ml. Where the rules have changed and how to pack.
Contents
- The basic rule still applies at many airports: liquids in containers of up to 100 ml, all in one clear bag of up to 1 litre.
- Airports with approved CT (3D) scanners let you carry containers of up to 2 litres and leave them in your bag.
- In the UK that includes Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol and both Belfast airports; in Ireland, Dublin and Shannon. Manchester, Stansted, Luton and Cork were still on 100 ml when we checked.
- It’s the airport you fly from that counts – including on the way home.
Checked: 15 November 2026. Sources at the end of the article.
What is the basic rule for liquids in 2026?
At airports without the new scanners, nothing has changed for years:
- each container holds no more than 100 ml (what counts is the size of the container, not how much is left in it),
- all containers fit in one clear, resealable bag of up to 1 litre – about 20 × 20 cm,
- you take the bag out of your hand luggage at security.
Gels, pastes, creams, aerosols, liquid mascara, toothpaste and yoghurt all count as liquids. If you can spread it or pour it, treat it as a liquid.
Why the confusion: 100 ml or 2 litres?
CT scanners create a 3D image of your bag and can detect dangerous liquids. Some airports began allowing bigger bottles years ago, but then came two key decisions:
- On 9 June 2024 the Department for Transport temporarily reinstated the 100 ml limit at six regional UK airports that had already switched to the new scanners, so the equipment could be improved. It stressed this was not due to a security threat. In the EU, the European Commission announced on 31 July 2024 that the 100 ml limit would return from 1 September 2024 at airports with this type of scanner (standard C3), citing a technical issue with the equipment rather than a new threat.
- From 2025 the rules were relaxed again, airport by airport, once the scanners were approved: in the EU from the summer of 2025, after new tests by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC); in the UK as each airport passed government checks.
The result: there’s no single rule for the UK, Ireland or Europe. It all depends on the scanners installed at a particular airport.
Which UK and Irish airports allow 2 litres?
| Airport | Liquids in hand luggage | Since |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | up to 2 l per container, all terminals (2, 3, 4, 5), stay in your bag | January 2026 |
| London Gatwick | up to 2 l per container, stay in your bag | – |
| Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast International, Belfast City | up to 2 l | by January 2026 |
| Manchester, London Stansted, London Luton | 100 ml – check the airport’s website before you fly | – |
| Dublin | up to 2 l per container, both terminals, no clear bag needed | 19 September 2025 |
| Shannon | up to 2 l | 7 September 2026 |
| Cork | 100 ml – a new security area with CT scanners is planned | – |
| Other airports | assume 100 ml and check the airport’s website | – |
Even where liquids can stay in your bag, the airport decides the details – Birmingham, for example, asks passengers to leave liquids loose rather than in plastic bags. If in doubt, pack to the strictest rule on your trip.
What about the flight home?
The rules are set by the airport you depart from. If you fly out of Heathrow with a 500 ml bottle of sun cream and fly back from an airport with older scanners, the sun cream stays at security. GOV.UK advises checking your departure airport, any airport where you change planes and your return airport. On a connection, the transfer airport counts too if you go through security again there – many airports in Europe are still on 100 ml.
Do medicines and baby food have to fit in 100 ml?
No. The 100 ml limit doesn’t apply to:
- essential medicines you need during the journey,
- baby food and baby milk,
- items for special dietary requirements needed during the journey.
Take only what you need for the journey and pack it separately so it’s easy to show at security. Staff may ask you to prove it, for example by opening or tasting it. For medicines, carry a prescription or the original packaging.
What about duty free?
Perfume or spirits bought after security can go on board without the 100 ml limit. The shop seals them in a security bag with the receipt visible inside.
- Don’t open the bag until you reach your final destination.
- On a connection, the bag will be screened again. If staff open it, ask for it to be resealed in a new bag.
- A bottle bought in duty free outside the UK or EU may not get through security when you change planes in Europe. On a longer journey, it’s safer to buy it on the last leg.
How should I pack toiletries so I don’t hold up the queue?
- Check your departure and return airports. On the airport’s website, look for the security or liquids page.
- Decant toiletries into 100 ml bottles, even if you’re flying from Heathrow or Dublin. You may well be flying home from an airport with older scanners.
- Keep liquids together, at the top of your cabin suitcase. With a 100 ml limit you only lift out the 1-litre bag, without digging through your luggage.
- Put larger toiletries in your hold bag, if you have one. The 100 ml limit doesn’t apply there.
- Take your water bottle empty. Fill it after security.
Wondering whether your suitcase will fit on board at all? We’ve collected airline size limits on the page Cabin bag limits by airline.
Sources
Checked 15 November 2026.
- GOV.UK: Hand luggage restrictions – liquids (100 ml at most airports, up to 2 l at some, 1-litre bag about 20 × 20 cm, exemptions, duty free, check departure, connecting and return airports)
- Heathrow: Hand baggage and liquids; Gatwick: Security screening
- Which?, 23 January 2026: The UK’s airport liquid rules for 2026
- TheJournal.ie, 19 September 2025: Dublin scraps the 100ml rule, Cork to follow; Irish Examiner, 7 September 2026: Shannon Airport ends 100ml liquid limit
- Department for Transport, 7 June 2024: DfT statement on airport liquid restrictions
- European Commission, 31 July 2024: Commission enforces temporary restrictions on liquid screening at certain EU airports; Liquids, aerosols and gels
- Euronews, 25 July 2025: EU airports set to ditch 100ml liquid limit for hand baggage
Important: this article is for general information only and reflects the situation on the date it was checked (shown above). Airline, airport and government rules can change at any time. Before you travel, always check the latest information directly with your airline, the airport or the official source. This article is not legal advice, and Eternitive is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of it.
