Baggage warning at Birmingham Airport as new national rules come into force within hours

New airport rules come into force within hours as Birmingham Airport boss Nick Barton has broken his silence on the long queues passengers are facing. Nick Barton blamed “non-compliant” bags as he warned that rules limiting travelers to 100ml of gels, pastes and liquids in hand luggage will be introduced nationally from 12.01pm tomorrow (Sunday 9 June).

However, he said passengers are still trying to take bags with larger amounts of restricted items through security, adding an extra 20 minutes per traveler to the wait time to get through. He says it is now “imperative” that all passengers follow the rules to ensure queues are reduced, BirminghamLive reports.

He spoke publicly at the end of another week about passengers joining long lines to clear security. Some passengers told BirminghamLive they missed their flight as a result.

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The ongoing issue has caused the airport to be branded ‘frustrated’ on social media, with some questioning why Nick Barton has remained silent on the issue. Former head of business and deputy lord lieutenant of the West Midlands, David Frost, posted on X: “This has been brewing for months and the exec is off the hook.

“What role do the board and directors have in holding CEOs accountable? A third-world airport for a city trying to put itself on the global stage.”

Birmingham Airport said it had been following the 100ml rule for several months because of “relevant regulatory” approval for new screening machines installed as part of a major upgrade which created a new security area. Mr Barton said: “The rules we have been following since March are now very clear in that only liquids, pastes and gels up to 100ml can be carried in hand luggage.

“Since opening our new security area and despite being one of the first airports in the UK to comply, we have been limited in the use of our multi-million pound equipment due to an exceptional regulatory restriction , which means we had to limit liquids to 100ml. This rule has now been implemented nationwide.

“Although the 100ml rule is still in place, we constantly have non-compliant bags with liquids over the allowance, which has made our equipment inefficient and resulted in extended waiting times for customers. It is now imperative that all customers comply with the rule nationwide. to ensure a smoother and simpler transition through the airport.

“A non-compliant bag with liquids over 100ml can add up to 20 minutes to each passenger’s journey through security. All customers traveling should check their carry-on bags to ensure they comply with this restriction.”

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