JEDDAH, 20 August 2006 — Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) plans to ban liquids on board its aircraft, according to official airline sources. The proposal was made last week by the airline’s Safety and Security Administration and an announcement is expected within the next few days concerning items not allowed in carry-on baggage and also when the new rules will be implemented.
The ban on liquids will only be enforced on flights to Britain and the United States. It does not include internal flights or flights to other international destinations unless governments of those countries make an official request.
Abdul Aziz Al-Tamimi, director of media and public relations at Saudia, said the proposal was presented last Tuesday and that the Safety and Security Administration is preparing an announcement of what liquids and chemical products will be banned from which flights.
“These restrictions concern flights to the UK and the US because the procedures are implemented in coordination with the governments of those countries,” he said. Once the announcement is made, passengers will be informed of the list of banned items by travel agents and at the airport.
Capt. Saad Al-Shihri, assistant director of the Safety and Security Administration, told Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News, that all airlines had been informed of these new procedures as a precaution against terrorist plots. Banned items include shampoos, perfumes and moisturizers. Some liquids, such as baby milk and some medications, have been excluded from the ban.
It is not yet clear if Zamzam water will be banned as a carry-on item or not.
The ban follows the discovery of an alleged terrorist plot on 10 flights out of London to destinations in the United States last week. The terror suspects were allegedly planning to use liquid explosives. So British and US authorities prevented passengers from carrying any liquids, including baby milk.
Bottles of water, contact lens solutions and liquid medication were initially among the items banned from carry-on luggage. Some of those items were permitted a few days later.
The reason for these restrictions, according to terrorism experts, is that it would be possible to make liquid bombs from apparently innocuous components. They say that if mixed together, some of these items of everyday use can cause a chemical reaction. The problem is that they look harmless and cannot be detected by scanners or sniffer dogs.
Also liquid explosives can be easily concealed in regular bottles. Some chemicals are not easily detectable, security officials pointed out, saying that they were extremely volatile and could be mixed on board an aircraft in order to cause an explosion.
