Restrictions on carrying liquids onboard flights departing from British airports will not be eased, the government has said.
Some observers had predicted that security chiefs would move quickly to liberalise the restrictions after a major terrorism trial failed to find a conspiracy to target transatlantic jets.
The tough measures were drafted in when police accused Islamic extremists of plotting a spectacular aviation attack in 2006.
They limit the amount of liquid an individual can carry in hand luggage to one single 100ml bottle, reflecting concerns that terrorists could smuggle soluble explosive ingredients onto planes.
But even though this week’s verdict has partly allayed those fears – with three defendants being found guilty of a lesser terrorism charge – Whitehall insists the restrictions will not be lifted.
“The court case has proven that a generic capability exists to create liquid bombs from domestic items,” a spokesman for the Department for Transport said in a statement.
“Aircraft could be vulnerable to such devices, so we are right to continue to require restrictions for liquids carried as hand luggage.”
