Italian airport waives liquids limit for hand luggage - but only for pesto


Travellers to Italy often choose to take a taste of the country home
with them by filling their suitcases with local food and drinks - only
to be thwarted by airports' strict regulations on carrying liquids.

One airport, however, is making an exception to the 100ml-maximum rule
for taking liquids on board.

From the start of June, tourists flying out of Genoa airport in
northern Italy have been allowed to take larger quantities of liquids in
their cabin baggage.

The catch? The 100ml limit is only waived for those taking pesto, the
region's famous sauce made of garlic, basil, pine nuts and cheese. "If
it's not pesto, it can't fly in hand luggage," Genoa Airport press
officer Nur El Gawohary told The Local.

Genoa's Cristoforo Colombo airport launched the 'Il pesto è buono'
(Pesto is good) initiative at the start of June, allowing passengers to
take jars of pesto up to 500g on board, in exchange for a donation to
Flying Angels, a local charity which provides flights for seriously ill
children who need to travel overseas to receive care.

The inspiration for the scheme came from airport staff. "Every year
hundreds of pesto jars were seized at security controls and thrown away
- a waste of food and an annoyance to our passengers," explained El
Gawohary.

"Ensuring safety is our primary goal," said El Gawohary. "We use the
same equipment [to check the pesto] that is used to check medicines,
special foods or breast milk, which can already be brought in the cabin
in quantities over 100ml."

Tourists unwilling to part with their oversized pesto jars can ask for a
sticker in exchange for a charity donation, and staff then scan the jars
in a special x-ray machine which has an anti-explosive device fitted.
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In the first 20 days of the project, more than 500 passengers have taken
part. According to the airport, the initiative has been "particularly
appreciated by locals from Liguria" who no longer have to go without
their regional specialty when holidaying abroad, but several tourists
have also taken advantage of the scheme to take home a garlicky souvenir.

The pesto must still comply with some limits: passengers can either take
one 500g jar or two jars of up to 250g. They can only be taken on direct
flights from Genoa, and the pesto in question must be Genovese.