New European rules for hand luggage came into effect on Sunday at airports in European Union countries.
The move came after the European Commission questioned the reliability of next-generation scanners at EU airports and called for a temporary restoration of the previous model.
This means that airports that use the new C3 scanners, which allow passengers to leave liquids and electronic items in their bags while they are scanned, and which have removed the need for a 100ml restriction on each liquid, aerosol or gel, will revert to the old methods of processing passengers’ bags through security.
The effectiveness of the new scanners was called into question by a technical report sent by the Commission to the European Civil Aviation Conference last May, which indicated that the Commission could not guarantee the reliability of the scanners for containers with a content of more than 330 ml.
Airports that use C3 scanners will have to switch back to traditional X-ray machines from today, which could cause some flight delays.
The European Commission in Brussels described the measure as “temporary” but did not set a date for its completion.
In practice, during the temporary change, liquids will be limited to 100 ml containers sealed in a transparent bag.
Travelers should also check whether the airport they are travelling to is among those affected by the temporary relocation, and plan their trips accordingly.
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