Gatwick Airport has announced that customers travelling through it will no longer need to remove electronic devices or place liquids in plastic bags. The decision is part of a million-pound project to transform its security screening process, which has seen new computed tomography (CT) scanners installed.

The airport claims it is part of a wider effort to simplify and streamline the security process while maintaining the highest safety standards. Cyrus Dana, Head of Security at London Gatwick, said: "More than 95% of passengers already pass through security at London Gatwick in under five minutes. This is a positive change, with the scanners allowing our passengers to travel through the airport with more ease.”

Dana added: “As we continue to grow, our top priority is the safety of our passengers and the security of the airport. This cutting-edge technology ensures a safe and robust experience for our passengers.

“At London Gatwick, we pride ourselves on providing a great passenger experience, and as we head into a busy summer season, we look forward to continuing to deliver that service.”

In a press release, the airport claimed that the “new technology is not only more efficient but also more sustainable with no more requirement to use plastic bags.”

Currently, liquids can be taken through security in containers of 100ml or less.

But thanks to the change in policy, passengers will no longer be forced to take these out of luggage and placed into plastic bags.

An airport spokesperson warned that travellers should be aware that not all airports have introduced the measure as they warned that people should “still arrive at the airport two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.”

The 100ml limit on planes was introduced in 2006 after police uncovered a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives onboard transatlantic flights.

The plan included multiple flights and would have seen extremists smuggle explosives onto planes disguised as soft drinks.

In the aftermath of the plot, all liquids were banned before the rule was relaxed to allow passengers to carry a small amount.