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Restricted Items & Baggage Advisory

Unsafe and restricted items

While packing your bags, it is always important to ensure that you only carry what is considered safe for air travel. Be it your carry-on or cabin baggage, carrying such hazardous items poses a threat to you, your fellow passengers and crew onboard. To make it easier for you, here is a quick guide to the list of items that are seen as unsafe for flight travel. If you are carrying any of these items, never hesitate to inform the security-check personnel and discard them as per the instructions given to you.

Unsafe items

Not allowed in hand baggageNot allowed in checked-in or hand baggage
  • Flammable items like lighters.  
  • Sharp objects: Box cutters, saws, cigar cutters, ice axes, ice picks, metal objects with sharp edges, scissors (metal with pointed tips), razor-type blades not in cartridge (excluding safety razors), knives (any length and type except round –bladed, butter, and plastic cutlery having no sharp edge), meat cleavers, sword, sabers, knitting and crochet needles, umbrellas with sharp edges.  
  • Sporting goods: Baseball bats, bows and arrows, cricket bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, pool cues, ski pools, and spear guns. 
  • Tools: Axes and hatchets, cattle prods, corkscrew, crowbars, hammers, drills (including, cordless portable power drills), saws (including, cordless portable power saws), tools (including, but not limited to wrenches and pliers).
  • Martial arts and self-defence items: Batons, blackjacks, brass knuckles, billy clubs, Kubotan, mace or pepper spray, nunchakus, stun guns or shocking devices, throwing stars, and other martial arts or self-defence items.
  • Alcoholic beverages, when in retail packaging, containing more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol by volume, in receptacles not exceeding 5 L, with a total net quantity per person of 5 L. (Exception applicable for international transfer passenger)
  • Firearms and ammunitions like BB guns, pellet guns, starter pistols, air guns and compressed air guns, or their parts.
  • Internal combustion or fuel cell engines
  • Avalanche rescue backpack, containing cartridges of compressed gas in Division 2.2.
  • Night sticks, ropes, luggage chains, wax (except sealing wax)
  • Air mattress with built in pump
  • Allen keys with equipment
  • Artificial skeleton bones (for research by medical fraternity with an authorization letter)
  • Camping stoves and fuel containers that can contain flammable liquid fuel, with empty fuel tank and / or fuel container.
  • Chemical Agent Monitoring Equipment, when carried by staff members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on official travel.
  • Food items like coconut and all spices in powder or physical from including chilly.
  • Cello tape, measuring tape and masking tape, glue gun.
  • Gas cartridges, small, non-flammable containing carbon dioxide or other suitable gas in Division 2.2.
  • Printer cartridge
  • Realistic replicas of firearms, insects and reptiles, toy weapons.
  • Specimens, non-infectious packed with small quantities of flammable liquid.
  • Talcum powder
  • Thermometer, medical or clinical, which contains mercury
  • Mobility Aids: Battery-powered wheelchairs or other similar mobility devices with non-spillable wet batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries (dry batteries). Battery-powered wheelchairs or other similar mobility devices with spillable batteries or with lithium-ion batteries.
  • e-cigarettes: An electronic device that heats a substance, with or without nicotine and flavours, to create an aerosol for inhalation and includes all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), Heat Not Burn. Products, e-hookah and similar devices.
  • e-cigarettes (including e-cigars, e-pipes, other personal vaporisers, all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and similar devices
  • Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) are designed to transport individuals with difficulties walking. For example, motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not controlled by the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) in Singapore.  
  • Explosive materials: Flare guns, gun lighters, gun powder, blasting caps, dynamite, fireworks and firecrackers, flares (in any form), party poppers, bang snaps, hand grenades, plastic explosives, and realistic replicas of explosives.  
  • Compressed gases and cylinders: Deeply refrigerated, flammable, non-flammable, and poisonous gases such as butane, oxygen, liquid nitrogen, and Aqua Lung cylinders and fire extinguishers.
  • Hair curlers containing hydrocarbon gas
  • Flammable items: Aerosol (any except for personal care or toiletries in limited quantities), fuels (including cooking fuels and any flammable liquid fuel), petrol, gas torches, lighter fluid, strike anywhere matches, turpentine, paint thinner, spray paint, camphor, and realistic replicas of explosives and incendiaries.
  • Oxidising material: Such as bleaching powder or liquid and peroxides, and chlorine for pools and spas.
  • Poisonous and infectious substances: Insecticides, weed killers, and live virus materials.
  • Disabling devices: Mace or tear gas, pepper spray, etc., containing an irritant or incapacitating substance.
  • Electroshock weapons like Tasers that contain dangerous goods such as explosives and compressed gases.
  • Baggage with installed lithium batteries or non-removable batteries exceeding 0.3 g lithium metal or 2.7 Wh
  • Spillable batteries
  • Food items like dry coconut (copra or crushed)
  • Transportation devices like Segway and hoverboards
  • Security-type attaché cases, cash boxes, cash bags, etc., incorporating dangerous goods, such as lithium batteries and/or pyrotechnic material.

 
Radioactive materials

  • Corrosives: Such as acids, alkalis, mercury, wet cell batteries (except those in wheelchairs), oven or drain cleaners. 
  • Other dangerous articles: Such as magnetised, offensive, or irritating materials. Briefcases and attaché cases with installed alarm devices.

 

Restricted articles

Certain items that are otherwise considered unsafe will be allowed as baggage provided you receive advance approval for carrying it from the authorised body. It should also be in accordance with the policies of Air India, interline carriers and local regulations. Such items include:

  • Battery-powered wheelchairs with spillable/non-spillable batteries
  • Dry ice (carbon dioxide, solid), in quantities not exceeding 2.5 kg per person when used to pack perishables not subject to DG Regulations in checked or carry-on baggage, provided the baggage (package) permits the release of carbon dioxide gas. Checked baggage must be marked ‘dry ice’ or ‘carbon dioxide, solid’ and with the net weight of dry ice or an indication that there is 2.5 kg or less dry ice and insulated packaging containing refrigerated liquid nitrogen in recommended quantities for medical purpose subject to approval from Aircraft operator in writing.
  • Portable medical electronic devices
  • Lithium battery-powered self-balancing devices. 
  • Satellite phones (Thuraya and Iridium) and GPS devices. It requires authorisation from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Ministry of Home Affairs or Department of Telecom.
  • Medical devices and medication. It should accompany a valid medical certificate or prescription for proof during security screening.
  • Alcohol is permitted as hand baggage as per LAG policy for international transfer passengers alone.
  • Ammunitions will be allowed as checked-in baggage as per DGCA’s policy, provided authorised documents are made available.

Short guide on the carriage of batteries

I. Spare batteries

  • Batteries and fuel cells, spare or loose, including lithium-ion, non-spillable, nickel-metal hydride, and dry batteries not exceeding a Watt-hour rating of 100 Wh, are allowed as cabin baggage. You can carry only a maximum of two spare batteries.  

II. Batteries up to 100 Wh

  • For lithium metal batteries, the lithium metal content must not exceed 2g.  The Watt-Hour rating must also not exceed 100 Wh. 
  • You can carry batteries emptied from the electronic equipment. You can carry a maximum of two such spare batteries.

III. Batteries exceeding 100 Wh

  • For batteries exceeding 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh, the lithium content may exceed 2 g but not more than 8 g, including Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) and Portable Medical Electronic Devices (PMEDs). You can carry a maximum of 2 such batteries.

Short guide on the carriage of drones

Domestic flights

Carriage of drones on domestic flights is governed by the regulations set by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Drone Rules 2021.

  • Nano, micro and small drones weighing up to 2kg can be carried as cabin baggage and checked baggage, unless the partner airline policy specifies otherwise.
  • Drones with battery capacity up to 160 Wh are allowed as checked-in baggage. Only two spare batteries are allowed for large drones with battery capacity between 100 Wh and 160 Wh.
  • All drones must be in switched-off condition and packed appropriately.
  • Batteries, including spare ones, must be packed as cabin baggage. If the drone is carried as checked-in baggage, the batteries must be removed and carried as cabin baggage. Nano drones with Li batteries can only be carried as cabin baggage.
  • Drones with a battery capacity over 160 Wh cannot be carried as either cabin or checked-in baggage. They are allowed only as cargo shipment subject to obtaining prior approval.

International flights

The carriage of drones on international flights is subject to the drone carriage policy of the concerned country.

Apple Inc.’s official advisory on carrying MacBook Pro laptops

Certain old-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops sold between Sept 2015 and Feb 2017 cannot be carried onboard due to an overheating issue of the battery while in use.  Check Apple’s support website using your laptop’s serial number to know whether your MacBook Pro falls under this category. You can also visit the DGCA website for more information.