The authorities made this decision after improving the scanners installed in British airports. The new machines, each costing more than £100,000, can distinguish harmless liquids from potentially explosive ones. After the bans are lifted, passengers on British flights will no longer have to transfer all liquids into 100-milliliter containers—especially since, as research has shown, a bomb can be smuggled onto a plane even with their help.
The ban on carrying liquids in aircraft cabins has already cost the British aviation industry more than £100 million. First and foremost, this refers to increased security costs. For example, the company BAA, which owns seven British airports including Heathrow, had to hire more than 3,500 people to scan passengers' luggage. In addition, sales in Duty Free shops have dropped sharply. To this day, at Heathrow alone, two tons of alcohol and thousands of perfume bottles are confiscated every month.
It should be recalled that the ban on bringing liquids into aircraft cabins was introduced after British police announced the foiling of a terrorist plot in August 2006. According to law enforcement, the conspirators planned to detonate liquid bombs on board 12 transatlantic airliners.
According to The Times, airport services deal with thousands of passengers every day who do not understand the ban, and many try to circumvent it. For instance, representatives of Manchester Airport said that one man tried to bring bottles of frozen water and claimed he had nothing liquid with him. Another drank a bottle of vodka in front of security guards to prevent them from confiscating it. He was subsequently removed from the flight for being drunk.