The ban on objects such as toothpaste and perfume being carried through airport security in hand luggage will be lifted at UK airports in November.
The banning of all but essential liquids in hand luggage was introduced after the thwarting last month of an alleged plot to blow up planes.
Under a new Europe-wide agreement to be approved next week, passengers will be able to carry on board liquids stored in 100ml containers and placed in a clear resealable plastic bag. Air travellers will have to carry the plastic bags separately to other hand luggage and present them at security checkpoints.
Since the tightening of restrictions on August 10 passengers leaving UK airports for destinations other than the United States have been allowed to take liquids in carry-on luggage, as long as the items were bought after travellers had passed through security checks.
Those travelling to America are still not allowed to take liquids on board even if purchased at "airside" outlets, but, earlier this week, US authorities said liquids could be taken on board flights leaving America if they were purchased from secure airport stores.
On August 10, all carry-on bags were banned, leading to huge queues at airports and numerous flight delays and cancellations. After a few days, smaller hand luggage was permitted to be taken on board and last week the DfT announced that larger bags and musical instruments would once again be permitted on planes.
The new Europe-wide rules will mean less confusion for passengers, according to the government, which has yet to announce the exact date of their implementation in the UK.
In six months' time, further standardised regulations will come into force across Europe, bringing hand luggage sizes and screening procedures for electrical items in line with those in the UK, the Department for Transport said.
Meanwhile, according to a survey published today, around 90% of air travellers felt reassured by the recent tightening of airport security, but a third believe it is "a significant inconvenience".
Air travellers were overwhelmingly more security-conscious when travelling with their family, the survey of 5,700 UK passengers by IT services supplier Steria showed.
Despite the necessity to increase security, two thirds of air passengers believe Britain is actually safer than other countries.
Exactly half of those polled had been stopped to take part in longer security checks at airports recently, and 90% would be keen to see new technology such as iris or fingerprint recognition being introduced into the security process if it made check-in procedures quicker and safer.
