Airlines to be consulted before one-bag rule ends

GUERNSEY airport has yet to decide whether to increase the amount of hand baggage allowed on flights. It was given the option after the UK Government announced an end to the one-bag rule from January.

'Before we take any decision on that we have to speak to the airlines,' said airport director Colin Le Ray.

'We have to be aware of what the airlines' policy is going to be before we make a decision, otherwise it would cause confusion.

'In the event that we lifted the one-bag restriction we would have to demonstrate to the UK Department for Transport that we could maintain the current level of security with the greater throughput generated by people taking more than one bag per person.'

But security of the area outside the airport is unlikely to change despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown's counter-terrorism crackdown.

He announced that more airports would be defended by barriers to repel car bombs and there would be vehicle exclusion zones and metal detectors.

Mr Le Ray said these latest anti-terrorism measures would probably not be introduced here.

'Guernsey and Alderney airports are subject to regular inspections by Department for Transport security inspectors and they will make recommendations from time to time,' he said.

'At this stage we have not received specific advice about increasing forecourt security at Guernsey or Alderney and more generally we would expect that the sorts of measures that have been suggested in the UK would be applied to those airports with high numbers of passenger movements where the risks are perceived to be higher.'