Dubai aviation authorities to enforce rules on liquids, gels

Dubai International Airport authorities have announced they will enforce new security regulations on hand baggage liquids, aerosols and gels starting June 17. The announcement was made to dispel the confusion that arose when an official of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) reportedly said that the measures were to be introduced starting May 31, but phased in throughout the month of June. Dubai insisted, however, that the ban on liquids, aerosols and gels will be fully enforced by the third week of June. In a report, Dubai’s Khaleej Times quoted a Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) official as saying, "As per the GCAA announcement, we are also allowing a grace period so as to get our passengers acquainted with the new policy. But we believe two weeks will be sufficient for us to carry out the public awareness campaign and we are ready to strictly implement the new security rules by June 17." The issue on the ban of liquids, aerosols and gels in commercial aircrafts came into focus when critics questioned why the Dubai government has not imposed restrictions when the US and countries in Europe did so a year ago. A news item back in August 2006 that a network of terrorists in the United Kingdom had hatched a plan to detonate liquid explosives on airplanes caused panic at airports across the globe. In Europe and the US, passengers were banned from taking any liquids in their hand luggage, and at present quantities are limited. The DCA has adopted the rules specified by International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) for its member states, airport authorities said. The regulations are: • All liquids must be in individual containers not greater than 100ml capacity. • All containers must be placed in one transparent re-sealable transparent bag, no larger than 20cm x 20cm in size. The containers must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be fastened closed. • Only one bag per passenger is allowed. The bag must be clear and re-sealable, such as ‘ziplock' bags or bags with pressable seals. Larger bags or bags that are non-sealable, such as fold-over sandwich bags are not allowed. • Each passenger must remove their clear plastic bag from their hand baggage and place it in on the conveyor belt for X-ray screening. Passengers can still pack liquids in checked-in bags as the new rules only apply to hand luggage. They could still carry medicines and dietary requirements, including baby foods, in hand luggage not sealed in a clear plastic bag. However, they maybe asked to prove they need these during the journey. Passengers can still buy liquids such as perfumes on board an aircraft or at Dubai Duty Free shop where liquids are sold in 2-litre tamper-evident bags, which should not be opened before passengers are screened. Otherwise, the bags maybe confiscated at the checkpoint. All liquids bought are additional to the quantities mentioned for re-sealable bags. Referring to the new rules, Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al Tayer, director of Aviation Unit at DCA, said, “The United Arab Emirates is an Icao member state and as such the GCAA, UAE’s federal civil aviation authority, and all local civil aviation authorities across the country, follow security standards set by the organization." “Information on the new rules is available on the Dubai International Airport’s website, and will be published in our various internal and external newsletters," Al Tayer added. Passengers may also check with their travel agents and with airline offices for more information. Philippine overseas employment records show that in 2006, some 99,212 overseas Filipino workers, both new hires and re-hires, were deployed to the UAE, roughly over 8,000 departures every month or close to 300 departures daily. - GMANews.TV