ACI Europe conducted a straw poll of 10 European airports yesterday which appears to show that there was minimum disruption caused by new rules on the carriage of liquids by passengers.

ACI said that ‘disruption for travellers and airlines was kept to a minimum at airports across Europe’ following yesterday's introduction of new EU aviation security rules on the carriage of liquids by passengers.
While the poll is certainly not definitive, it did cover some of Europe's busiest airports, including reports provided by Amsterdam-Schiphol;, Brussels; Copenhagen; Dublin; Frankfurt; London Heathrow; London-Gatwick; Madrid Barajas; Paris-Charles de Gaulle; and Paris-Orly.
In a statement, ACI said the initial reports were encouraging considering airports had only one month to prepare for implementation of the enhanced security measures. The organisation said: ‘The logistics put in place have worked very well and ensured continuity of service for European travellers.
?Initial reports from some of Europe?s busiest airports indicate a limited impact on security queuing times and a minimal, or in some cases zero impact on airline departures.’
As ACI said and was widely expected, ‘the greatest impact is being felt by passengers originating from non-EU countries and transferring to an onward destination.’
The airports association also points positively to the fast and efficient work done by airports and airlines in communicating the new requirements to passengers and large numbers of extra staff deployed at check in and security screening points to reinforce passengers' awareness of the new rules.
Some airports have also provided facilities to travellers for re-packing their check-in bags where necessary, in addition to providing – on a temporary basis – the transparent one-litre plastic bags required to carry liquids onboard as hand luggage. For example, A?roports de Paris ordered one million bags ahead of yesterday's change to the regulations.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe said he was very pleased that the impact has so far been kept to a minimum. ‘Indeed, within a very small timeframe, Europe?s airports have made huge efforts to prepare for the implementation of the new security requirements.
‘The implementation of these measures has significant operational and financial consequences for airports and retailers alike. We are now reaching a critical point in terms of the sustainability of the overall EU security framework.?
But he acknowledged that there are still big problems, including the ‘the inability for transfer passengers flying into Europe to take liquid duty free items purchased outside the EU’.
Jankovec called for a global security standard to be introduced, pointing out that aviation is international by its very nature and security measures must be harmonised accordingly.