The European Union has announced that the ban on carrying liquids in containers larger than 100 milliliters in hand luggage for passengers traveling by plane will end in 2013.
Until then will continue the ban which was initially scheduled to end this April, as reported by the European Commission.
The removal of these restrictions, which came into force in 2006, has been delayed in order to equip airports with scanners that detect the presence of hazardous liquids.
According to the European Commission, the technologies that can effectively detect the presence of these liquids are not available yet to be installed at airports, which has led to extend the ban until that date.
As a preliminary step to the provisions in 2013, from 29th of April 2011 the rules will become more flexible to ease the situation of transit passengers who purchase liquids at duty-free shops at an airport outside the Community, and currently are obliged to hand them in when making a stopover in Europe.
Thus, they may retain these fluids provided they are carried in sealed bags and pass a manual inspection.