Manchester Airport, one of Britain's busiest airports, has issued a warning to passengers travelling with carry-on luggage after confiscating dozens of items in a single morning earlier in July. Staff took a handgun-shaped whiskey decanter, two multipacks of yoghurt, and a leg massager, among other belongings.
The Manchester Evening News witnessed officers at the airport's new Terminal 2 take nearly 100 items from bags, including 24 packs of cosmetic products, seven drinks bottles, and seven food items – including two multipacks of yoghurts. Airport bosses warned that delays can mount up at security if holidaymakers do not follow Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules.
Security checks and delays
Sakib Mahmood, security duty manager at Terminal 2, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming millions of passengers to Manchester Airport this summer. We’re proud of the role we play in getting people’s journeys off to the right start, and more than 97per cent of our passengers are getting through security checks in under 15 minutes.”
“But each time we have to pull a bag aside for a manual search it can take several minutes, and that can quickly start to add up and create delays - not just for the passenger with a non-compliant item in their hand luggage, but also for those waiting behind them in the queue. The range of items confiscated here in just a few hours shows what our security officers are up against every day – but when it comes to working out what is restricted and what is not, we know some items are more obvious than others.”
Liquid restrictions and prohibited items
Most passengers failed to comply with liquid restrictions, which require anything that can be sprayed, spread or poured at room temperature to be packed in containers with a capacity of under 100ml. A 100ml limit for hand luggage is still in place at most UK airports, while hubs including Manchester wait for the CAA’s approval to remove these restrictions, following the installation of new 3D scanning technology.
Passengers are encouraged to be alert to items which might contain more than 100ml of liquid, such as children’s squishy toys or souvenir snow globes. Liquid medications over 100ml are exempt – provided you have a prescription label clearly displayed – as is breast milk in containers of up to 2L.
Also removed from bags were 12 pairs of scissors, seven corkscrews, four knives, and six packs of tools – plus two loose chisels and a pair of pliers. These items broke CAA rules prohibiting sharp objects or blades with a length of more than 6cm (2.3in) in hand luggage.
Gun-shaped items and other weapons
Another major security concern are gun-shaped items. Anything designed to look like a firearm, or that could be disguised as one, cannot be carried in hand luggage. This includes toys – which could be painted or adapted to more closely resemble a real weapon. Ten toy guns or items resembling firearms were confiscated – including a BB gun with two packs of ball bearings, three NERF guns, and a handgun-shaped whisky decanter set. Other confiscated items were a baseball bat and a leg massager, because of their potential to be used as a weapon.
New scanning technology and packing tips
Large electrical items no longer have to be removed from your bag, thanks to new 3D scanning technology now installed in both of Manchester Airport’s terminals. However, items such as belts and watches should be removed and pockets emptied before stepping through the body scanners, to avoid triggering them. These items should be placed inside hand luggage before placing it into the tray at security. Doing this while waiting in the queue – rather than when reaching the front – can save time.
Items that contain lithium batteries – such as power banks, vapes and tablet computers – may pose a fire risk if faulty so must be packed in hand luggage, rather than hold luggage, to allow easy access in an emergency. You cannot fly with more than two power banks per person, and these must not be recharged in flight.
