New rules for liquids on planes
On October 5th 2006 the European Commission has adopted a new regulation which limits the quantity of liquids passengers may carry aboard: this measure has been voted in order to prevent the risks linked to liquid explosives. The regulation only concerns the carry-on baggage and not the checked in luggage as it is unreachable during the flight.
Regarding the fact that a small quantity of liquid cannot
constitute a dangerous explosive, the new regulation limits the size of
the liquid container to 100 millilitres each maximum. All the
containers must be placed in re-sealable transparent plastic bags with
a maximal capacity of one litre. This limitation applies to
all flights departing from and landing on an airport located in the EU,
wherever the final destination and passengers’ nationality.
The new rules apply to all liquids (perfumes, toothpaste, etc…). Nevertheless, there is an exception for some liquids such as medicines and special dietetics products, i.e baby food.
Passengers will be authorised to buy at airport shops quantities of liquids additional to the contents of the 100milliter containers i.e drinks and perfumes.
Lastly, in order to facilitate controls at the checking points, passengers will have to present their plastic bags separately from the rest of the luggage for the check-in/security check.
Here are the new rules which apply to passengers at the security check:
- Take off their coats and jackets
- Take off from their carry-on luggage laptops and other big electrical devices.
The regulation came into force on November 1st in the whole EU.
Within 6 months, the regulation will restrain the size of cabin luggage. The maximum authorised size will be 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm, with some exceptions for music instruments, cameras, etc…
