At 9.15am on Monday 30 January, a piece of aviation history was made. On a day when the headlines were filled with tougher US restrictions on travellers, including “extreme vetting” of some nationalities, Scottish aviation made a move for more relaxed, passenger-friendly travel.
The unlikely setting was Campbeltown airport in south-west Scotland — henceforth known as “the no-frills airport with subtracted security”.
For the first time in nearly half a century, a scheduled flight took off from an airport on the British mainland without the usual security checks for passengers or their possessions.
Loganair flight 6844 departed from Campbeltown, destination Glasgow, with 15 passengers aboard — none of whom had been frisked or had their baggage rummaged through.
The rules banning sharp objects, firearms and liquids in containers over 100ml still apply, but travellers simply make an oral declaration that they are not carrying any of the banned items.
It is believed to be the first time anyone has breezed through a mainland airport on to a scheduled flight since the early 1970s.
Since Britain ratified the "United Nations’ Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft", more crisply known as the Hague Hijacking Convention, passengers have been subject to personal searches and cabin-baggage checks.
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which operates Campbeltown, said: “These new arrangements have been agreed and approved by the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority. They continue to place safety and security at the forefront of every passenger’s journey, whilst offering facilitation benefits in most cases.”
(culled from www.independent.co.uk)
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