EU: The EU will consider banning passengers from taking liquids onto flights and restricting hand luggage at a meeting of security experts today.
The proposals are contained in an options paper drawn up by EU officials in response to the discovery of a plot to blow up flights from British airports on August 10th.
"There are two related questions: is it necessary to have a complete ban on liquids, or is it possible to have a minimum level of liquids allowed on to a flight," said an EU official yesterday, who added that a lower size limit on hand luggage was also up for discussion.
Officials are expected to scrutinise new scientific evidence on the volume of liquids required to set off a potentially fatal explosion before making a final decision on the new rules.
The two-day meeting in Brussels will involve experts from all 25 member states and the European Commission.
Since the terror alert in Britain all flights from Britain and the US have been subject to restrictions. The proposed EU ban on liquids would likely include a range of common items such as drinking water, alcoholic drinks, perfumes and toothpaste.
"The measures must be workable and they must not completely disrupt the operations of airlines or else we hand an easy victory to the terrorists," said Francoise Humbert, spokeswoman for the Association of European Airlines (AEA).