Published on 30/01/2026 – 11:30 GMT+1•Updated
14:15

Some good news for air travellers. Many European airports are finally ditching the controversial 100 millilitre limit on cabin bag liquids, marking the end of an era of minuscule, overpriced creams and shampoos.

It follows the rollout of new CT security scanners, which provide high-resolution 3D visuals detecting both solid and liquid explosives. Last July, the EU Commission said that a move to scrap the rule across the whole bloc is also in the pipeline.

The 100ml limit was introduced in Europe and beyond in 2006, after UK police had foiled an Islamist plot to blow up transatlantic flights using liquid bombs hidden inside soft drink bottles.

Which airports let you fly with liquids of up to 2L?

With the new rules, people would be able to carry up to 2 litres per single container in their cabin bag.

But travellers should carefully read the cabin bag rules before packing. Many EU and European airports (actually, most of them) haven’t complied yet.

United Kingdom: Widespread CT scanner use

London Heathrow, the continent’s busiest airport, was the latest to raise the liquid limit, only a few weeks ago, enforcing it across all its terminals. It followed other British hubs like London Gatwick, Birmingham, Belfast and Edinburgh.

London Stansted isn’t there yet, but passengers can leave their liquids inside their bags without placing them in an external plastic container. The same applies to London City Airport and Luton.

Germany: Patchy adoption in Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich

Munich airport authorities told Europe in Motion that the limit has been increased to 2L “at 15 security lanes in Terminal 2 and five lanes in Terminal 1”.

The remaining lanes “do not yet have modern CT technology”, so “the 100ml limit continues to apply”, they said.

Similarly, at Frankfurt Airport, only “some security checkpoints are already using new CT scanners that allow up to 2 litres”.

The same applies to Berlin Brandenburg, where 2L is allowed only in 24 security lanes.

“In 2026, we will begin the refurbishment of the remaining security lanes in the main hall of Terminal 1,” Berlin airport authorities told us, while they continue to recommend passengers to stick to 100ml “to ensure a smooth process”.

Italy: Ongoing rollout in north and centre

Good news for tourists visiting Italy soon for the Winter Olympics, as travelling with liquids of up to 2L is now allowed atMilan Linate,Bologna, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa (Terminal 1 only), and Turin (for fast-track passengers only).

Other European airports that have increased the liquid limit

Passengers can carry liquids of a maximum of 2L also going through Dublin, Prague Vaclav Terminal 2, Vilniusand Kaunas (Lithuania),Kraków and Poznań (Poland), Cluj (Romania), Denmark’s Billund and Malta.

Which other airports plan to raise the limit and which don’t?

Amsterdam Schiphol, Europe’s third busiest airport, and Barcelona El Prat told Europe in Motion that they are following European regulations, but didn’t elaborate on whether they would raise the limit to 2L in the future.

Brussels Zaventem also doesn’t envisage changes: “We are monitoring technological developments, but at the moment there are no concrete plans to adapt the security equipment,” they told us.

Likewise, at airports in Paris, Marseille, Madrid, Athens and Lisbon, the limit for liquid containers stays 100ml.

Athens plans to introduce the new 2L scanners in early 2027, once expansion works at Eleftherios Venizelos are completed, authorities told us, while Paris airports aim to be fully ready by 2030.