Security at Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Your safety is our top priority. We’ve introduced Next Generation Security lanes, allowing passengers to keep liquids and electronics in their hand luggage for faster screening. This page helps you prepare for a safe, smooth, and stress-free journey through security.
✨ Improving Your Journey ✨
We’re upgrading three of our security lanes to make your experience even smoother. This work will be taking place until March.
Please allow a little extra time when travelling through security, and thanks for bearing with us while we make these improvements.
Before you reach security
To ensure a quick and easy security experience:
Remove coats, hats, scarves, belts and heeled shoes or boots.
Ensure all items are in your hand luggage, including items from your pockets.
Large electrical devices can also stay in your bag.
Liquids (maximum 100ml per container) can stay in your bag.
You no longer need a clear plastic bag for liquids and there is currently no limit to how many 100ml containers you can carry but they all must fit into your bag.
Examples of liquids:
Toiletries-toothpaste, deodorant & makeup
Perfume, gel, paste, cream or aerosol items
E-cigarette cartridges (one lighter per person is also allowed)
Canned goods in sauces
⚠️ Restricted Items:
The Spice Bomb (Viktor & Rolf) and Wanted (Azzaro) fragrances are not permitted due to Department for Transport regulations.
Medicines and Medical Items
You may carry essential medicines over 100ml if required for your journey. This includes prescription liquid dietary supplements such as high-fibre shakes, provided they are necessary for your travel.
This includes:
Prescription medications
Liquid dietary supplements (e.g., high-fibre shakes)
Injection devices (e.g., syringes)
Inhalers
Medical equipment
You must provide proof of ownership (prescription or doctor’s letter). Ensure that prescriptions are clearly labelled, and doctor’s letters specify the medical necessity and safety of transporting these items.
Items may be subject to screening and testing.
Airports aim to ensure all passengers have a positive experience throughout the airport and are treated with dignity and care at the security gateway. Passengers and their baggage will need to go through airport security before reaching the departure area.
For this purpose, most UK airports are directed by the Department for Transport (DfT) to use security (body) scanners to screen departing passengers from the UK.
Passengers who are fitted with external and internal medical devices1, and prosthetic devices2 are encouraged to inform the Security Officer. If the Security Officer assesses that a passenger wearing or fitted with a medical device is not suitable for screening by the security scanner, then an alternative search process will be used to suit the circumstances the passenger has declared. The screener may ask to see the medical device to complete the screening process. For such passengers, an airport may, depending on its local policies, offer for, or require, this screening to be carried out in a private area (not on the lane), so that a sufficient search can be completed whilst protecting the dignity of the passenger.
Any passenger who elects to opt out of a security scanner search for non-medical reasons is required to have an ‘enhanced search in private’. It will likely add additional time to your journey and will involve a more in-depth hand search in a private search area. Further details can be found here. If a passenger refuses to be screened in accordance with DfT requirements and the instructions of the Security Officer, they will not be permitted access to the restricted part of the airport beyond security and will not be able to board a flight.
Baby Food & Liquids
When travelling with a baby, the following items are permitted in hand luggage, even over 100ml:
Item | Hand Luggage | Hold Luggage |
Breast milk (up to 2L) | ✅ | ✅ |
Frozen breast milk | ❌ | ✅ |
Formula milk / cow’s milk | ✅ (baby must be present) | ✅ |
Sterilised water | ✅ (in a baby bottle only) | ✅ |
Soya milk / baby food | ✅ (baby must be present) | ✅ |
Cooling gel packs | ✅ | ✅ |
Whilst pre-ordering of baby milk, food and nappies is no longer available, these items are stocked in our WHSmith store within the departure lounge.
Passengers are reminded you can also travel with bottled baby milk and powders within your hand luggage or checked in luggage and are not subject to same security regulations around other liquids when the baby is travelling. Please find further details at Security at Liverpool John Lennon Airport . All other categories available on pre – order are well catered for in the airport’s departure lounge, both within current Boots, World Duty Free and WHSmith stores and elsewhere with recent investments in food and beverage facilities creating alternatives to the traditional ‘meal deal’ with much more choice and quality.
Food and Powders
To avoid delays, place protein powders, baby formula, and other food items in your hold luggage where possible. If kept in hand luggage, they may be subject to additional screening, so allow extra time.
Other items
Item | Hand Luggage | Hold Luggage | Additional Notes |
Disposable razors | ✅ Allowed | ✅ Allowed | Only fixed cartridge razors (e.g. Gillette-style) are permitted |
Loose razor blades | ❌ Not allowed | ✅ Allowed | Must be packed in hold luggage |
E-cigarettes/vapes | ✅ Allowed | ❌ Not allowed | Must remain in hand luggage – check with your airline for quantity restrictions |
Ashes | ✅ Allowed (with documentation) | ✅ Allowed | Must be in a non metallic container |
Carrying Ashes Information
You are fine to carry the ashes in your hand luggage, you will just need a copy of the death certificate and cremation certificate to accompany them.
Please make sure the ashes are securely packaged in an appropriate container such as an urn made of wood or plastic, avoid using a metallic urn.
When you are travelling through the security process we recommend making the staff member on the load aware for screening purposes.
Security Scanners
Security scanners are used to screen passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. This is to ensure no prohibited items are taken onboard an aircraft or into the airport.
Any passenger who elects to opt out of a security scanner search for non-medical reasons is required to have an ‘enhanced search in private’. It will likely add additional time to your journey and will involve a more in-depth hand search in a private search area. If a passenger refuses to be screened in accordance with DfT requirements and the instructions of the Security Officer, they will not be permitted access to the restricted part of the airport beyond security and will not be able to board a flight.