The Airport Operators Association (AOA) has published a statement criticising the recent decision to reintroduce restrictions on the carrying of liquids in hand luggage.
The gradual rollout of next generation 3D scanners had led to several UK airports removing the 100ml restrictions, meaning customers could carry containers holding up to two litres in liquids.
London City was the first major airport to do so back in April last year, with others including Aberdeen, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Southend and Teesside.
But a temporary Department for Transport ruling reintroducing the restrictions came into force at the weekend, to “enable further improvements to be made to the new checkpoint systems”.
The AOA said that the investment by airports to install new scanning equipment was “multi-faceted and complex”, and warned that the DfT’s decision had been made with “very little notice”.
Commenting on the news Karen Dee, chief executive of the AOA, said:
“All airports are investing hundreds of millions of pounds to deliver this huge programme of technology and programme upgrades mandated by Government with equipment and processes to meet their requirements.
“These latest changes announced on Friday, instigated with very little notice, have created uncertainty for passengers just as airports enter their busiest periods of the year.
“It has also put airport operators in a challenging position, with very limited time to prepare for the additional staffing and wider resources that this will require, and no clear idea of when this issue will be resolved.
“Airports are doing all that they can to mitigate the impact of this for passengers. We ask that all passengers please bear with us and ensure that liquids are carried in containers no larger than 100ml, until advised otherwise.
“The safety and security of staff, passengers and airport communities is our number one priority, and everyone should be assured that airports will never compromise on this.”
Have you experienced any issues with taking liquids in hand luggage since the changes to the rules? Let us know in the comments section below.
