The 100ml carry-on liquids rule has been quietly falling apart across Europe, and the replacement is not a new rule so much as total chaos. Depending on which airport you fly from, and sometimes which security lane you end up in, you can now carry up to 2 litres of liquid in your cabin bag. Or you still cannot. Good luck.
The shift is being driven by CT scanners, the 3D imaging technology that can detect threats inside larger containers without making you decant your conditioner into a tiny bottle like it is 2006. Liquid restrictions were introduced worldwide in 2006 after authorities uncovered a plot involving liquid explosives concealed in drink containers, with the 100ml threshold considered a volume low enough to reduce the risk. The rule remained in place for years due to the limitations of screening technology, but with the rollout of advanced CT scanners, some major European airports have begun allowing significantly larger containers.
The problem is that rollout has been anything but consistent. The European Commission has moved cautiously, temporarily re-imposing the 100ml cap at certain airports when technical or certification issues arose. As of early 2026, the result is a patchwork: some airports allow liquids up to around two litres in a single container, while others still enforce the traditional 100ml rule.
Italy is the most straightforward good-news story. Passengers can carry larger liquid containers at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Bologna and Milan Malpensa (Terminal 1 only). Dublin is fully converted across both terminals. Prague Vaclav Terminal 2, Vilnius, Kaunas, Krakow, Poznan, Cluj, Billund and Malta also allow 2 litres. In the UK, Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Birmingham have replaced the 100ml rule with a new limit of 2 litres per container.
Germany is where it gets grim. At Frankfurt, out of 160 security lanes, only 40 have the new scanners. You have roughly a one-in-four chance your full-size bottle makes it through. The other three times, it goes in the bin. Munich is investing 45 million euros in 60 CT scanners, with all 48 lanes supposedly equipped by summer 2026, though regulations for liquids remain inconsistent in the meantime. At airports in Paris, Marseille, Madrid, Athens and Lisbon, the 100ml limit stays firmly in place. Athens plans to introduce the new scanners in early 2027, while Paris airports are aiming for full readiness closer to 2030.
There is a particular trap waiting for anyone who connects through multiple airports. Travellers face a confusing patchwork where departing from an airport with the new scanners does not help if the return airport does not have them. Liquids above 100ml may be allowed in hand luggage on the outbound flight, but confiscated on the way home. Flying to the US from anywhere in Europe is also a different matter entirely. Even at airports with full 2-litre approval, flights to the US still follow the 100ml rule due to stricter TSA requirements.
The honest summary: check the specific airport you are departing from, not the country or the airline. There is no binding EU-wide deadline for full conversion. Each airport decides for itself, and full conversion will still take years. Until your departure airport explicitly confirms the 2-litre allowance, pack for 100ml and save yourself the argument at the checkpoint.
