Uk’s Gatwick Airport Security Hit By Glitch, Scanners Flag Apples As Dangerous Threats

Published on August 16, 2025

Travellers flying done Gatwick Airport successful nan UK should beryllium cautious astir carrying definite snacks, arsenic nan airport’s caller CT scanners person been mistakenly flagging communal fruit, for illustration apples, arsenic imaginable threats. This rumor has caused disorder and delays, highlighting a glitch successful nan precocious information exertion designed to velocity up screening while enhancing safety. Passengers request to beryllium alert of this problem to debar unexpected information checks and guarantee a smoother journey.

Travellers departing from a salient UK airdrome mightiness want to reconsider packing a peculiar snack aft a caller revelation involving airdrome information scanners. An incident has shed ray connected really nan precocious scanners successful usage astatine Gatwick Airport mightiness emblem 1 commonly carried consequence arsenic a imaginable information threat.

Passengers heading done Gatwick, peculiarly those pinch this peculiar consequence successful their compartment bags, could look unexpected delays aliases information checks. The recently introduced Computed Tomography (CT) scanners, which are meant to amended security, look to person trouble distinguishing this mundane snack from perchance hazardous items.

In July, a British journalist astatine Gatwick’s North Terminal described a perplexing segment successful which a agelong statement of passengers appeared confused aft airdrome information unit began asking whether anyone was carrying consequence successful their manus luggage. This was nan past mobility nan journalist expected to hear, but erstwhile they were asked whether they were carrying an apple, they realized they had 1 successful their bag. The information unit personnel explained nan business succinctly: “The scanner doesn’t for illustration apples.” This remark highlighted nan unanticipated issues pinch nan caller information technology. The incident took a much frustrating move erstwhile a family was near stranded astatine Palma Airport aft being told they couldn’t committee their Jet2 flight, a complication reportedly caused by nan aforesaid scanner issues.

The consequence rumor astatine Gatwick is not nan first of its kind. Just months earlier, successful September, nan CT scanners flagged children’s medicine, specified arsenic Calpol and liquid Nurofen, arsenic suspicious items. These medicines, which are perfectly ineligible to transportation done airdrome security, were incorrectly identified by nan scanners arsenic imaginable threats. The caller scanners, designed to amended observe explosives, mistakenly rejected these mundane medications, which led to complications for families travelling pinch young children. As a result, passengers were forced to acquisition further information checks, resulting successful agelong queues and frustrating delays.

These incidents item immoderate of nan teething problems pinch Gatwick’s caller state-of-the-art scanners, which were rolled retired successful March arsenic portion of a multi-million-pound task to heighten airdrome information while reducing nan clip passengers walk waiting successful line. This technology, which uses precocious aesculapian imaging techniques to create elaborate 3D images of luggage, is intended to connection enhanced information by much accurately detecting imaginable threats specified arsenic explosives. The strategy besides eliminates nan request for passengers to region electronics aliases battalion liquids into abstracted integrative bags, making nan screening process faster and much efficient.

The updated information measures, which were initially announced by nan UK Department for Transport complete 2 years ago, correspond a important overhaul of airdrome security. The extremity is to streamline nan screening process while maintaining precocious information standards. The caller CT scanners are tin of scanning items from aggregate angles and producing high-resolution images that thief information unit amended measure nan contents of luggage without nan request for manual inspections. This invention is expected to trim mendacious alarms and amended nan wide ratio of airdrome information procedures.

One of nan astir anticipated changes brought by these caller scanners is nan removal of nan 100ml limit connected liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAG) for manus luggage. This restriction, which had been successful spot since 2006 pursuing a thwarted violent plot, had go a awesome inconvenience for travellers. With nan caller CT scanners, passengers nary longer request to interest astir nan 100ml limit, allowing them to bring larger quantities of liquids successful their manus luggage. This alteration is peculiarly invited for those travelling pinch cosmetics, toiletries, and different individual attraction items, arsenic they will nary longer request to adhere to strict packaging requirements.

However, nan rollout of these caller information measures has not been without its challenges. While galore smaller airports crossed nan UK were capable to meet nan June 2024 deadline for integrating nan caller scanners, larger airports for illustration Gatwick faced difficulties. Issues specified arsenic post-COVID proviso concatenation disruptions and nan request for further infrastructure activity person delayed nan afloat implementation of these caller systems astatine immoderate awesome airports. As a result, passengers astatine immoderate airports whitethorn proceed to look nan inconvenience of nan 100ml liquid limit for a small longer, while others are already benefiting from nan streamlined screening process.

Despite these challenges, nan caller information measures person been wide welcomed by passengers, peculiarly those who regularly recreation internationally. The improved CT scanners connection a much efficient, hassle-free experience, and nan removal of nan liquid limit is expected to beryllium a game-changer for many. However, incidents for illustration nan pome disorder astatine Gatwick service arsenic a reminder that moreover nan astir precocious technologies tin person unintended consequences. Passengers flying retired of Gatwick and different airports pinch akin scanning systems should stay alert of imaginable issues and beryllium prepared for further checks, particularly if they are carrying items that could trigger information alarms. In nan end, while these caller technologies connection greater convenience and security, location will apt beryllium a learning curve arsenic some passengers and airdrome unit accommodate to nan changes.

Ultimately, nan extremity is to heighten information while reducing nan load connected travellers, and pinch time, nan strategy will apt go much businesslike and little prone to specified hiccups. Until then, passengers whitethorn want to beryllium mindful of definite items successful their manus luggage, peculiarly those that could beryllium misidentified by nan precocious scanning equipment.