The European Commission has authorized the installation of scanners at EU airports that allow passengers to carry containers with liquids in their hand luggage with a volume greater than 100 milliliters and eliminates the obligation to remove electronic devices from luggage at security control, the executive announced on Tuesday, as reported by the EFE agency.
Currently, there are approximately 700 such scanners installed at airports in 21 EU member countries.
Once approval to use such scanners is obtained, each airport that decides to use them now has the responsibility to inform passengers about the practical aspects and functionality of these devices.
Scanners of this type are currently used in the EU at some airports in Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.
Last year, the European Commission banned their use, citing technical issues that hindered the safe control of hand luggage, but has now authorized them after the European Civil Aviation Conference gave its approval.
The objective of using these scanners is to speed up security checks, as in airports equipped with such devices, passengers will not have to remove their laptops or liquids from their hand luggage.
These measures were implemented after the terrorist attacks that took place in the USA on September 11, 2001, and after thwarting other terrorist attacks targeting transatlantic flights in 2006.