More than 6,8 metric tonnes of liquids, aerosols and gels (lags) have so far been seized under new airport safety measures, the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said on Tuesday.
It said when the new regulations came into effect on June 1, about 500 litres of lags a day were seized at the three international airports — OR Tambo, Durban and Cape Town.
”But this has now been reduced considerably to about 230 litres a day … and these are mainly beverages,” said Acsa spokesperson Solomon Makgale.
The new measures for international travellers were introduced to comply with the international Civil Aviation Organisation standards.
Passengers are no longer allowed to carry on board as hand luggage perfume, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel and other items in bottles larger than 100ml.
Makgale said Acsa had engaged the services of Enviroserv, a waste-management company, to ”assist in the safe disposal of all Lag’s that have been left behind by passengers travelling abroad.
”The 6,8 tons of Lag’s have been sent to a disposal facility in order to be destroyed in a manner that is ozone friendly and fully compliant with environmental regulations.”
Makgale said international travellers had been cooperative in adhering to the new regulations, and reminded those intending to travel to place their Lag’s in transparent, re-sealable, 20cm plastic bags.
The bags will be provided at the airport until the end of June.
The purpose of the new safety regulations is to protect aircraft against the threat of liquid explosives.
They were introduced following a state of terror that gripped Britain when 21 people were caught for a plot involving the hiding of explosives in hand baggage for detonation on flights bound for the United States. — Sapa