Travel rules are becoming more relaxed all across the world as technology advances and new airport scanners are developed. Son Sant Joan in Palma de Mallorca is the most recent airport to do away with the requirement that liquids and electronics be kept separate from hand luggage.
The redevelopment and modernization of Son Sant Joan Airport began in November and is estimated at €559 million over four years. Airport’s director Tomás Melgar, gave an interview to Mallorca Diario, stating that thanks to security filters equipped with state-of-the-art technology, no items will have to be removed from the hand bag.
“The time has come to carry out a comprehensive upgrade of the facilities as they have been the same for more than 25 years. The security filters will be equipped with more modern technology, and this will create positive results in terms of safety and quality, such as passengers not having to remove their hand luggage, so no liquids or computers.”
The renovation plans also include the installation of two extra check-in counters and two baggage retrieval carousels to further simplify arrival and departure procedures at the airport. Palma’s Airport is the third busiest airport in Spain and struggled with long queues over the summer as it faced a shortage of staff while passenger numbers increased by more than 50% compared to 2021.
Currently, passengers traveling through Palma airport and other airports in Europe are required to remove all liquids from their carry-on luggage and place them in a clear plastic bag for security screening. Electronics like laptops, power banks, e-cigarettes, and extra batteries, must as well be removed when going through airport security.
Last month UK announced that due to 3D CT scanners installed at its major airports, the ban on liquids over 100ml will be ditched by 2024. At airports, the obligation to remove drinks and gadgets always results in a delay because many travelers wait until they are near the scanners to do so. Therefore, removing this step is expected to reduce line times.
Source: thesun.co.uk
