EU backs down on air security plans

Planned measures to limit the size of baggage that EU travellers may take on board aircraft have been withdrawn for fear of provoking similar chaos at European airports to that caused by the ban on liquids.

The Commission announced on 5 May 2008 that it would not go ahead with plans to introduce a regulation limiting the maximum size of cabin bags to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. 

The measure, originally due to be introduced back in May 2007, was one of a raft of rules to tighten security on flights adopted in the summer of 2006 after a terrorist plot to smuggle liquid explosives onto an aircraft flying from London’s Heathrow airport to the US was exposed (EURACTIV 28/09/06). 

After a year of studies, the Commission now says it “considers that the effectiveness of this measure does not justify the additional costs and inconvenience to airline passengers”.

“We must seek to balance security with passenger convenience. We already have very tough screening rules and […] in this case it is clear that the inconvenience of additional limits would outweigh the advance in security,” said EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot. 

The change in attitude is notably due to the confusion and disruption caused by a restriction on the amount of liquids that passengers can carry on board introduced in November 2006. The new limit wreaked havoc at European airports, leading to delays and the confiscation of millions of litres of alcohol, toothpaste and perfume (EURACTIV 13/02/07). 

European airports, which often protest about the financial burden of new security measures, have welcomed the Commission’s decision to withdraw the hand luggage regulation. According to the Airports Council International Europe, the implementation of security rules for liquids has already resulted in a 25% reduction in through-put at airport security checkpoints. It feared this latest provision would further inconvenience passengers “without any proven technical justification from a security perspective”. 

The association is further calling for the EU to step up efforts to tackle the problems related to liquids rules. The Commission already said last July that it is working to limit the inconvenience caused by the regulation by enabling air passengers from “approved” third countries (applying equivalent aviation security standards to the EU) to travel freely with their duty-free liquid purchases when transferring within the EU. But so far, only Singapore has been approved. 

ACI Europe Director-General Olivier Jankovec said: “We are very appreciative of the European Commission’s hard work in providing the legal solution to this problem, but what we now need is a renewed commitment to implementation […] This is the only way to ease the increasing passenger frustration and the extraordinary waste generated by the current security regime.”

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