Date:11/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/08/11/stories/2006081104720900.htm

Back Hand luggage banned on flights from UK

Our Bureau

All passengers to be hand searched, all items to be X-rayed

New Delhi , Aug. 10

Airlines banned hand luggage on flights out of the UK on Thursday and warned of massive delays after British police said they had disrupted a plot to blow up aircraft in mid-flight. All carriers, including British Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, stepped up security on news of the plot to smuggle bombs on board a flight between Britain and the US.

"British Airways, acting on instruction from the UK Government, wishes to advise passengers that no items of hand baggage can be carried on board any aircraft departing any UK airport," the airline said in a statement. "The UK Government has advised that this instruction will apply to all airlines operating from UK airports."

Security measures

While passengers travelling from India to the United Kingdom would be allowed to carry their hand luggage on to the aircraft according to the policy of the various airlines operating on the sector, restrictions have now been put in place for passengers connecting from London Heathrow to other onwards destinations.

From now on passengers connecting from London Heathrow would be allowed to carry only some items onto the aircraft including travel documents essential for the journey apart from pocket sized wallets and pocket sized purses with their contents including money, credit and identity cards. Handbags would, however, not be permitted on to the flights.

UK airport operator BAA Plc said all passengers would be hand searched and their footwear and all items they carried would be X-rayed. It added that all passengers on flights to the US would be subject to a secondary search at the boarding gate.

In addition, prescribed medicines essential for the flight except in liquid form unless verified as authentic, spectacles and sunglasses without the cases, contact lenses without bottles of solution and keys without electrical key fobs would also be permitted on to the aircraft.

Milk for babies would be allowed on board but must be tasted by the accompanying passenger, BAA said in a statement.

No electrical items

A statement issued by the British Airport Authority further advised passengers that no electrical or battery powered items, including laptops, mobile phones, ipods, remote controls, among others could be carried in the aircraft cabin and must be checked in as hold baggage.

While passengers were allowed to carry handbags on flights to the UK, they were "advised" to check in all their hand luggage apart from other items, an airline official, operating regular flight between India and London, told Business Line.

Airline officials could not give a time frame for how long the new hand baggage restrictions would be in place.