Airports Council International has released a bulletin to notify its members that the European Commission has decided to defer the implementation of the partial lifting of the restriction for travelers carrying liquids, aerosols and gels.
The EC had originally suggested that as of April 29, LAGs in ICAO-specification security tamper evident bags carried by passengers arriving on flights from outside the European Union would be allowed through security screening stations at EU airports.
However, according to a press release, the EC says more and more member states have decided to keep the ban on carrying LAGs intact beyond that date. The commission was concerned the eased restrictions would cause confusion for passengers, and it will review the situation with the member states and the United States as one of the key destinations of flights from the EU.
“My main objective is to make life easier for air travelers,” says Siim Kallas, vice president of the EC. “However, it is clear that a situation at European airports which leads to confusion for air passengers as to whether they can travel or not with ‘duty-free liquids’, in particular for connecting flights to the United States, should be avoided. Therefore, the restrictions on carrying ‘duty-free’ liquids purchased outside the EU through European airports should remain in place until passengers can travel with certainty.”
The EU has a goal of removing all restrictions on the carriage of liquids in hand luggage by 2013. The ban has been in place since 2006, requiring travelers to discard liquids carried in hand luggage at security checkpoints at European airports.
According to the press release, “Passengers will continue to be allowed to carry ‘duty-free’ liquids from all international airports in Canada and the United States, six airports in Croatia (Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar and Zagreb), Changi Airport in Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, under special rules that are already in place. Passengers arriving from those airports will still be able to transfer at European airports with their ‘duty-free’ liquids. Furthermore, passengers travelling with liquid purchases made at EU airports or on board EU air carriers may also transfer at European airports without restriction.”
