The CAA is once again highlighting the need for passengers to be aware of items that are banned from being carried on a plane after a man was convicted of attempting to take dangerous chemicals on to an aircraft at Manchester Airport last year.

The man was found guilty of ‘recklessly acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft’ after he pleaded guilty to attempting to take corrosive and flammable chemicals on to a plane.

Geoff Leach, Manager of the CAA’s Dangerous Goods Office, said: “Unlike items restricted for reasons of security (eg knives and scissors) which may be carried safely in checked (hold) baggage, “dangerous goods” such as the chemicals involved in this instance can pose the same danger to the aircraft and its occupants wherever they are carried and consequently must not be carried by passengers at all.

“It is vital that passengers check the list of permitted items well in advance of travel to determine whether any unusual items they wish to carry are allowed. Unfortunately, incidents like this cause delays and disruption to the travelling public as well as endangering the safety of passengers and staff at UK airports throughout the year. “

Dangerous goods that must NOT be taken on board an aircraft are:

• explosives, such as fireworks, flares, toy gun caps;
• gases, such as culinary blowtorches, camping or compressed gas cylinders, tear gas, mace or CS gas devices;
• flammable materials such as petrol, lighter fuel, paint, thinners, non-safety matches, firelighters;
• poisons, such as weed killers, insecticides; and · corrosives, such as filled car batteries.

Passengers requiring further information about what they can and can’t transport on aircraft can contact the CAA’s Dangerous Goods Office on 01293 573900.

Approval has been granted to extend the runway at Southend Airport.

Although Southend Council’s Development Control Committee voted in favour of the runway extension application in January 2010, the decision was subject to review by the Government.

John Denham, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has now ratified the approval and work can now go ahead on a 300m south west extension to the runway and the diversion of Eastwoodbury Lane.

Work has already started on the new Rail Station and Control Tower which are due to open in Summer 2010 and Spring 2011 respectively, and work due to start soon on the runway extension.

The runway extension is expected to be finished in 2011.

Southend Airport has received planning permission to extend its runway.

The 300m extension will allow newer, more modern aircraft to use the airport and could see the airport handle 2 million passengers per year. In 2008 the airport handled 48,000 passengers.