- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Thailand has introduced new regulations governing how travellers can carry liquids, gels, and aerosols (LGAs) in their hand luggage at all public airports across the country.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) published these updated guidelines in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday (April 22), with immediate effect.
These rules, officially titled "Announcement of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand Regarding the Rules for the Screening of Liquids, Gels, and Aerosols to be Carried on Board Aircraft or Brought into the Restricted Areas of Public Airports, B.E. 2568 (2025)," supersede previous regulations issued in 2019.
The CAAT's directive, issued by its director, Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, draws its authority from existing airport security protocols.
It mandates that all LGAs being taken onto aircraft by passengers, crew, or airport staff must undergo thorough screening.
The announcement clarifies the definition of "liquids, gels, and aerosols," encompassing a wide array of items from beverages and sauces to cosmetics, toiletries, and pressurized containers like sprays and foams.
Even substances with both solid and liquid components, such as mascara and lip balm, fall under these regulations.
Airport operators are now responsible for implementing these screening procedures for all LGAs destined for aircraft cabins or restricted airport zones.
Under the new rules, individual containers of liquids, gels, and aerosols must not exceed 100 millilitres and must be held within a container of the same capacity, even if only partially full.
Passengers are permitted to carry multiple items, provided the total volume does not exceed one litre per person.
Airport authorities may also require passengers to consolidate these items into a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag, limited to one per person.
This bag will be screened separately from other hand luggage and will not count towards an airline’s carry-on baggage allowance.
Airport operators are instructed to screen these LAGs separately at security checkpoints, unless advanced screening technology like X-ray scanners capable of detecting these items is in use.
However, certain exemptions apply:
Medication: Essential medicines accompanied by a doctor's note, prescription label, or accompanying documentation bearing the passenger's name are exempt. This also includes necessary baby food or milk, and medically required dietary items in quantities appropriate for the flight duration, subject to inspection at the security screening point.
Crew and On-Duty Personnel: Crew members and other essential personnel are permitted to carry necessary personal-use LGAs in reasonable quantities for their operating hours, subject to security screening.
Airport and Emergency Staff: Airport staff with authorisation to enter restricted areas, and emergency responders, may carry LGAs required for their duties, again subject to security screening.
Duty-Free Purchases: LAGs bought at airport duty-free shops or on board aircraft are permitted, provided they are sealed in tamper-evident bags (STEBs) with proof of purchase from the day of travel and show no signs of being opened.
Transfer and transit passengers will need to present these items for inspection at security checkpoints. Passengers are advised to check the regulations at their final destination and any transit airports before making duty-free purchases.
Passengers carrying larger quantities of LGAs, either as part of their baggage or purchased before the security screening point, will be required to check these items in as hold luggage.
The CAAT has also granted airport operators the discretion to implement stricter measures based on their security risk assessments.
Finally, airports are mandated to clearly publicise these new rules to passengers, crew, airport staff, and authorised personnel throughout the passenger terminal, including check-in areas and security checkpoints, to ensure awareness before entering restricted zones. - The Nation/ANN
