Simon Hunter
JUST when passing through airport security had got a little bit easier, the old rules covering liquids have been brought back in.
Airports across the European Union, including those in Spain, on Sunday reintroduced the 100ml limit on liquids being carried in hand luggage.
The European Union took the decision to toughen up the rules once more while a ‘technical issue’ with new high-tech scanners is addressed.
The move was also seen in the United Kingdom earlier this summer, according to the BBC.
The 100ml rule has long been in place, ever since attempted terror attacks using liquids were detected.
Passengers had to place any liquids, pastes or gels they were carrying in clear plastic bags and put them through airport X-ray machines.
But new scanners had been introduced in EU airports such as Rome and Amsterdam, and they allowed for passengers to travel with liquids in greater volumes than 100ml and also removed the need to take them out of their luggage.
What’s more, large electronic devices such as laptops could also stay in bags, thus reducing the time passengers took through security.
But the EU has decided to reinstate the 100ml rules while it investigates this technical issue with the scanners.
While it has not said exactly what the issue is, a technical report sent by the European Commission to the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) last May suggested that the scanners’ reliability cannot be guaranteed when containers have more than 330 millilitres of liquids inside.
Until the issue is resolved, passengers can expect a longer wait at airport security once more.
