The Canary Islands Government is looking for solutions so that visitors to the Canary Islands airports can carry Canary Islands products, such as wine, honey or mojos, in their hand luggage, with the aim of ensuring that European regulations for the transfer of fluids do not have a major impact on Canary Islands producers. To this end, it is proposed to create mechanisms so that commercial establishments located in aerodromes - outside the boarding area - can give customers the possibility of collecting purchases - by means of tickets - in a secure area.
Another solution under consideration would be to install shops in the boarding areas, although this option poses problems in some airports, such as El Hierro or La Palma, where the boarding areas are small. The idea of requesting that products be checked in safely, using packaging designed to prevent breakage, is also being discussed.
This was explained today at a press conference by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Canary Islands Government, Pedro Rodríguez Zaragoza, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Pilar Parejo, and the Director General of Transport, Rosa Dávila, during a break in the meeting they held today to find solutions to the transport of fluids on inter-island, national and inter-island flights.
Rosa Dávila explained that the European Union (EU) is drawing up a regulation to unify security standards between all member states, which has already been agreed and which includes the possibility of exempting certain aircraft from certain basic common security standards depending on the nature of the flight.
DISPENSATION FOR INTER-ISLAND FLIGHTS
With this regulation, which will be approved in the first months of 2007, inter-island flights could be exempted from the common rules, although for this the member state - in this case Spain - should request it to the EU after carrying out a risk and economic impact assessment.
In this regard, Dávila explained that during the next three months the Canary Islands Government will carry out a study to assess the economic, social and risk impact of exempting the Canary Islands airports from certain common rules. If these exceptions are approved, the Canary Islands aerodromes would have to have inter-island boarding rooms isolated from the rest, a requirement that all airports already comply with except for Fuerteventura, where the Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (Aena) would be willing to meet the costs.
However, any solution cannot be implemented immediately, said Pilar Parejo, who announced that Aena and Civil Aviation are developing a list to establish which products are fluids, solids or semi-solids, and which can be carried in the cabin, for which they have requested the collaboration of all the autonomous communities.
Once the list is clear, the Ministries of Tourism and Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food will develop a dissemination campaign to avoid 'collateral' damage to sales, Parejo said.
OTHER PROPOSALS
The meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the airline Binter Canarias, also discussed the possibility of the State proposing that the European regulations be "softened" or changed in the Canary Islands, although this proposal was described by Pedro Zaragoza as "risky and difficult".
The Canary Islands Executive has also considered the idea of changing some elements of the aircraft, such as the cabin compartments with security locks, so that the products placed in them cannot be manipulated by passengers during the flight. Binter Canarias has already expressed its willingness to implement this measure, although it would take months to carry it out.
ACN Press
