European Union transport officials have announced that passengers travelling from UK airports will be permitted to carry liquids and gels in their hand luggage from early November.
The decision to lift the ban follows the Department for Transport's (DfT) announcement on September 22 that the size of cabin baggage allowed on board would be increased for passengers travelling from and through UK airports (News, September 29).
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said that from November all EU passengers would be allowed to carry up to 100ml containers of liquids and gels, including contact lens solutions, on to aircraft.
Security regulations brought in after the failed terror plots in August this year have been eased following US tests revealing that bombs cannot be constructed from small quantities of liquid.
The announcement will come as a relief to the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) which has previously objected to the blanket ban preventing all airline staff from carrying contact lens solutions and spectacle cases on aircraft (News, September 29).
The ban does not extend to eye drops, disposable contact lenses in sealed packaging and non-disposable lenses in a case with a small amount of solution (News, September 1).
The DfT said that an official statement will be released next week announcing the decision to lift the ban.