Govt mulls easing ban on liquids

An exercise is on to allow passengers on most international flights — including the US and Europe — to carry liquid, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in handbags.

An exercise is on to allow passengers on most international flights — including the US and Europe — to carry liquid, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in handbags.

HT Image

“We are considering a change in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security policy to facilitate carriage of the LAGs in tamper-proof bags,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.

Most international flights do not allow LAGs in handbags in aircraft cabins ever since a terror plot using a liquid bomb was busted in the UK in August 2006.

The ban has hit duty-free shops in India as many passengers have stopped buying LAGs to avoid the hassle of carrying the goods into the aircraft.

A team from the European Union (EU) has visited India and carried out detailed checks at airports in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to identify loopholes in the security chain for goods coming to duty-free shops and further taken to aircraft by passengers after their purchase.

The team also looked into security procedures at the airports regarding the carriage of the LAG items, said a government source.

The Indian government has formed a committee to carry out inspections at Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Amritsar airports on restrictions on LAGs.

After completing the exercise at all international airports, the government will bring about amendments in the policy in conformity with international standards. The exercise is in the final stages, a source in the civil aviation ministry said.

Although restrictions on liquids in aircraft cabins in EU countries were to end this year, the EU has decided to do it in a phased manner.

The restriction will continue in the largest airports in Europe till April 2012, and till 2014 at smaller airports.