A ruling from safety regulators allowing most departing passengers at Dublin Airport to keep liquids up to 100ml in their bags is imminent, sources say.
Passengers have had to keep removing liquids from their baggage at Dublin, even while passing through new scanners supposed to eliminate this need, following a temporary European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ruling last year.
A decision reversing that temporary ruling and allowing travellers to keep liquids up to 100ml in their bags, speeding up their passage through security, is imminent, according to insiders.
In Dublin’s case, this means that those passing through lanes equipped with new C3 scanners will not have to remove their liquids.
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This covers all the security lanes in terminal two and 80 per cent of those in terminal one. Airport operator, State company DAA has been installing the new technology since last year.
It is scheduled to finish this work in October. At that point, assuming the safety regulators’ ruling comes first, all passengers departing the airport will be allowed keep liquids up to 100ml in their bags.
The EASA issued its temporary ruling last year after US air travel safety regulators raised a concern about the particular type of scanner used by Dublin Airport, made by UK company Smith’s Detection.
That issue is now resolved, paving the way for a change to last year’s temporary ruling.
Earlier this month, Gary McLean, managing director of Dublin Airport, pledged that the company would aim to get nine out of 10 passengers through security in less than 20 minutes.
About 10 million people are expected to travel through Dublin Airport this summer, bringing the total for 2025 to just over 36 million, according to DAA.
The State airports company expects that Dublin will handle 2,600 flights a week during the peak season.
The airport advises passengers to arrive two hours before a short-haul flight, and three before long-haul flights. It also suggests that anyone checking in bags should ask their airline if it is possible to do this the night before travel.
Earlier this month, DAA announced a series of improvements to the airport for this summer, which include more than 1,000 extra seats, 15 new or improved places to eat and drink, cleaning projects and information on public transport.
The airport will open a new fast-track security facility in terminal one on a dedicated mezzanine floor during the summer.
Dublin Airport did not comment on the likely timing of a decision on the liquids rule, but said it was still waiting on confirmation that it would be reversed.
“This would be good news for passengers that liquids up to 100ml can remain in the bag,” said a spokesman, who added that the new scanners would be completely installed in the airport in October.
