Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has decided to delay the first phase of the lifting of restrictions on the carrying of liquids in hand luggage, according to a report by the Press Association.
Last year the European Union set a date of April 29, 2011, when “duty-free liquids purchased at third country airports or on board third country airlines and carried in tamper evident bags will be allowed as cabin baggage and will be screened” (see online news April 30, 2010).
But according to the Press Association, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has now deferred this move until the autumn, "in the light of the continuing high (security) threat".
The decision could cause confusion if the UK has different rules in place to other EU countires, regarding the carrying of liquids in hand luggage on transit flights.
The current EU framework calls for liquids screening equipment to be rolled out at all EU airports by April 29, 2013, allowing liquids to once again be carried in hand luggage.
The restrictions have been in place since August 2006, when a plot to blow up aircraft on transatlantic flights was discovered.
