UK tourists flying to Greece or Spain ‘must check’ new Europe rules

If you are planning to fly out to Spain or Greece after September 1, you’ll need to check these new rules which are being put in place.

Airports across Europe will alter hand luggage restrictions after it was found that security scanners did not meet safety standards.

The UK Government planned to reintroduce restrictions on liquids after the 100ml limit was scheduled to be scrapped.

This U-turn was described as temporary but no timeline has been given as to when the rule will be lifted.

The European Union has issued new guidelines which state all plane passengers cannot carry more than 100ml in their hand luggage.

From September 1, these rules will be in place. The EU said it had taken precautionary measures in response to information that the performance of explosive detection equipment did not meet the safety standards it was expected to.

Several airports had already upgraded their security measures but all will now have to revert to the old restrictions until the issue is resolved.

European airport trade body ACI EUROPE called the decision “a setback for the passenger experience and a blow to major investments made by airports”.

The EU Commission assured it was “collaborating closely with Member States and the European Civil Aviation Conference to develop swift technical solutions”

Europe’s wing of the Airports Council International previously warned of summer slowdowns at passport controls because of the reintroduced rules.

They said in a statement: “It will result in significant operational strain, the mitigation of which will require the deployment of additional staff and the reconfiguration of security checkpoints, where feasible.”