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Many passengers have been waiting for this news: the end of the 100 ml limit on liquids in carry-on luggage. This is already happening in the world, in Europe and is slowly beginning in Poland. But it also faces obstacles. Therefore, in the near future, coffee or tea will still have to be bought at the airport, and cosmetics will have to be carried in smaller containers.
On September 1, the limit of 100 ml of liquids in carry-on luggage returned at airports across the European Union. This was the decision made by the European Commission. The reason? Technical problems with the modern scanners that some European airports have already managed to invest in. The revolution, which has already started happening before our eyes, has slowed down. However, this is to be only a temporary solution – until these problems are resolved.
Revolution at airports. “Stop” for the 100 ml limit on liquids in carry-on luggage
The abolition of the 100 ml limit on liquids was made possible by the use of modern CT scanners, which scan passengers’ luggage using three-dimensional technology. This allows airport security screeners to take a close look at the contents of bags and suitcases, accurately determining the contents of containers with liquids, creams, gels. This has already been introduced at London-City Airport, Amsterdam-Schiphol, among others. Plans to buy 10 such scanners have already been announced by Kraków Airport.
However, the European Confederation of Civil Aviation (ECAC) went to the European Commission in May and questioned the effectiveness of the technology. The argument? Unreliability for containers over 330 ml, the volume of a Coca-Cola can. Hence the temporary reinstatement of the 100 ml limit, to, as an EC spokesman argued, “prevent possible risks.”
This means that passengers must comply with the 100 ml liquid limit and a total of 1 liter per passenger. They are placed in a transparent bag for security checks. The explanation that there is only half the contents in a 200 ml bottle or tube will not “pass”. What counts is the nominal capacity of the package.
Where did the limit come from?
Where did the 100 ml limit for liquids, creams, pastes and gels come from? It was introduced in 2006, almost two decades ago. It was then that a terrorist attack was thwarted in the UK, the authors of which planned to bring liquid explosives hidden in beverage bottles on board planes. Assembled and detonated in flight, they were to lead to a series of disasters on transatlantic flights.
The immediate response to the foiled attacks was a total ban on hand luggage on planes. However, it was short-lived and was relaxed to a restriction on liquids carried in containers of up to 100 ml. Why exactly that much? It was felt that attempting to assemble an explosive charge from liquids in smaller capacity containers would be more difficult, time-consuming and risk failure or even injuring the bomber, while causing little damage to the aircraft.
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