Janet Napolitano, the US Homeland Security Secretary, has said she was surprised by the statement from International Civil Aviation Organization secretary general Raymond Benjamin at the Montreal ICAO Assembly that airports could soon be in a position to lift the ban on liquids on board flights. She says the technology isn’t ready yet and that the statement was “premature”.
Benjamin has confirmed that he believes security equipment in most airports to better detect potential threats will be ready within two years, although this will mean more costs that will be passed onto passengers.
The news comes at ICAO announces a joint declaration to strengthen aviation security measures, which Napolitano says will be followed up with a series of regional summits to discuss the implementation details. She wants other nations to adopt a greater use of body scanners to increase onboard security.