The following are prohibited for carriage on either your person or in your hand baggage:
Guns, firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles and devices capable, or appearing capable, of being used to cause serious injury by discharging a projectile, including:
- Firearms of all types, such as pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns
- Toy guns, replicas and imitation firearms capable of being mistaken for real weapons
- Component parts of firearms, excluding telescopic sights
- Compressed air and CO2 guns, such as pistols, pellet guns, rifles and ball bearing guns
- Signal flare pistols and starter pistols
- Bows, cross bows and arrows
- Harpoon guns and spear guns
- Slingshots and catapults
You can travel with the following types of firearms as checked baggage under very specific conditions:
- Firearms of all types, such as pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns
- Replicas and imitation firearms capable of being mistaken for real weapons
- Component parts of firearms, excluding telescopic sights & magazines
- Compressed air and CO2 guns, such as pistols, pellet guns, rifles and ball-bearing guns
- Signal flare pistols and starter pistols
These items may only be carried in your checked baggage and require notification and approval from British Airways in advance. You must contact us at least 72 hours before you fly to request approval and to comply with any government embargoes and any government or airport restrictions. If you don’t contact us, your equipment won’t be allowed onboard.
You will need to provide the appropriate licences and documentation for your firearms and ammunition, e.g. export/import licences and authorisation from local and national authorities.
If you are travelling to Brazil, only firearms being used for shooting competitions can be taken into the country. Firearms for hunting are not permitted. Passengers must apply for a permit to import the firearm at least 30 days before their travel date.
The following items are not classified as firearms or ammunition and you can pack them in your checked baggage without having to notify us:
- Laser pistols
- Toy guns
- Bows, cross bows and arrows
- Harpoon guns and spear guns
- Slingshots and catapults
Notify us before you fly
You must contact us at least 72 hours before your flight to request approval; if you fail to notify us, you will not be able to travel with your equipment.
You’ll need to provide the following information:
- The airports that you are flying from and to
- The number of firearms you wish to transport
- The type (handgun, rifle, shotgun)
- The make/model and calibre
- The quantity (in weight) and calibre of ammunition
Travelling on other airlines
If you are planning to make a booking on ba.com that includes a flight operated by another airline, please contact us before booking to check if the other airline is able to carry your firearm.
Limits and charges
- Some airports are restricted on their permissions to handle specific types of firearm – contact us to check
- There is a limit of 5kg (11lb) of ammunition (cartridges for weapons) per person (IATA Division 1.4S; UN numbers 0012 and 0014). This is for that person’s own use only and excludes ammunition with explosive or incendiary projectiles.
- Each bag or case containing firearms or ammunition is subject to a £125 charge each way, payable at check-in, plus applicable local service fees to cover the cost of our specialist firearms and ammunition handling partner.
- If you take more or heavier bags than your checked baggage allowance, you will need to pay an extra charge.
How to pack your firearms and ammunition
- Pack your firearms and ammunition together in an appropriate carriage case, or if this is not possible, securely inside your checked bag with your personal belongings (except to/from South Africa and Italy, and from Romania and Croatia).
- Be aware that any bag packed with personal items as well as your firearm and/or ammunition must not contain liquids in containers over 100ml or other items prohibited in hand baggage, as it has to go through the hand baggage security checks.
- If you're travelling to/from South Africa, Italy, or from Romania, check in your firearms and ammunition in individual locked cases, separate from any checked bag with your personal belongings. In this instance, you will not be charged an extra baggage fee for the separate ammunition case if you exceed your free baggage allowance.
- When travelling from Croatia, firearms must be packed in a locked case, separate from ammunition and personal items that can be packed together in another locked case. In this instance, you will not be charged an extra bag fee for one of these cases if you go over your free checked baggage allowance. You will still need to pay the required firearm/ammunition fee for each case containing a firearm or ammunition and extra bag charges for any further bags that exceed your free checked bag allowance.
- If you're travelling to/from the US, visit the TSA website for full details on transporting firearms and ammunition.
- You cannot combine ammunition allowances for more than one person into one or more bags.
- Ammunition needs to be in either its original packaging or a suitable container that prevents movement between shells or cartridges (loose ammunition is not permitted).
- Make sure that firearms are unloaded and each firearm is accompanied by the appropriate certificate.
- Do not use 'explosives' labels on bags with ammunition.
Arrive earlier for check-in
You must arrive at a check-in desk at least two hours before your flight to allow sufficient time to process the paperwork prior to clearing security. If you're travelling with 10 or more firearms or boxes of ammunition, you must allow at least three hours.
You must declare that you are travelling with firearms and/or ammunition at the check-in desk.
Connecting between different terminals at an airport
If you are connecting between different terminals at a UK airport, please allow at least three hours between flights.
Connecting between different airports
British Airways does not offer a connecting service for travelling with firearms between UK airports.
If you're connecting between different UK airports, you must ensure that you have the appropriate licences/permissions to be in possession of a firearm in the UK and you must make your own arrangements for the transfer of your firearms to your connecting flight. Please allow more than the recommendedminimum connection time.
Explosives and flammable substances and devices that can be used, or appear capable of being used, to cause serious injury or to pose a threat to the safety of an aircraft are completely forbidden, including:
- Ammunition, unless we've approved carriage. See guidance for guns, firearms and ammunition.
- Blasting caps
- Detonators and fuses
- Replica or imitation explosive devices
- Mines, grenades and other explosive military stores
- Fireworks and other pyrotechnics, including sky lanterns, party poppers and sparklers and Christmas crackers.
- Smoke-generating canisters or cartridges
- Dynamite, gunpowder and plastic explosives
- Petrol, solid fuel fire lighters, fuel blocks for camping stoves, cylinders containing flammable gas.
- Lighter fuel, lighter refills, 'Strike anywhere' matches, 'Blue flame' or 'Cigar' lighters. See guidance for cigarette lighters and safety matches below.
- Paints, excluding products like water-based artist paints or artists' oil paints, solvents and varnish.
- Liquid oxygen systems (see guidance for oxygen cylinders required for medical use)
Christmas crackers
Festive crackers cannot be carried in your hand baggage as they contain a restricted substance. They must be packed into your checked baggage and put in the hold. They are also prohibited on all flights to and from the USA.
You can only take Christmas crackers on flights departing the UK if:
- Your crackers are commercially manufactured and in their original unopened packaging. Homemade crackers are not permitted under any circumstances.
- You’re travelling with a maximum of two boxes per person, with a total of 12 crackers per box, for personal use only.
- Your crackers are packed in your checked baggage and carried in the hold. For flights departing from the USA, check the latest TSA guidelines. Rules vary in other countries.
Party poppers, sparklers and sky lanterns
Party poppers and sparklers are not allowed on any British Airways’ aircraft in either hand baggage or checked hold baggage as they are classed as fireworks.
Sky lanterns, sometimes known as Chinese lanterns, are not allowed onto any British Airways’ aircraft in either your hand baggage or checked hold baggage as they contain a chemical pad that could ignite. They are banned in many countries.
Cigarette lighters and safety matches
You can carry one small packet of safety matches or a small cigarette lighter that does not contain unabsorbed liquid fuel other than liquefied gas on your person but not in your hand or checked baggage. These items need to be for personal use.
Lighter fuel, lighter refills, 'Strike anywhere' matches, 'Blue flame' or 'Cigar' lighters are forbidden.
Camping stoves and fuel containers
British Airways give automatic ‘operator approval’ for each passenger to carry a camping stove and an empty flammable liquid fuel container in their checked baggage, subject to the following conditions:
- Flammable gas cylinders are forbidden.
- The fuel tank and/or fuel container must be completely drained of all liquid fuel and action has been taken to nullify the danger.
- The empty fuel tank and/or fuel container must be allowed to drain for one hour.
- The fuel tank and/or fuel container must be left uncapped for six hours to allow any residual fuel to evaporate. If the tank smells of fuel, it cannot travel.
- Alternative methods such as adding cooking oil to the fuel tank and/or fuel container to elevate the flashpoint of any residual fuel and then emptying the tank are also acceptable.
- The empty fuel tank and/or fuel container must have the cap securely fastened and be wrapped in an absorbent material such as paper towel and placed in a polythene or equivalent bag. The top of the bag must be sealed or gathered and closed with an elastic band or twine.
- For your convenience, you must pack a copy of this page with the fuel tank and/or fuel container to identify that you have our ‘operator approval’ to carry the camping stove.
- You do NOT need to contact the airline or inform staff at the airport that you are carrying this item.
Specimens with small quantities of flammable liquid
You can take non-infectious specimens packed with small quantities of flammable liquid in your hand or checked baggage provided they meet IATA Special Provision A180. Please contact us for details.
Contact the British Airways Safety Team
If you require additional information regarding your item, or you require approval to bring your item on a flight, please contact our Safety Team. Please allow two UK working days for a reply and remember to supply us with your booking reference.
Most corrosive and toxic chemical substances are completely forbidden onboard, including:
- Acids, bleaches and peroxide
- Phosphorous items
- Fertilisers, weed killers and insecticides
Ink and toner cartridges
- On flights to or from the UK, not including a US airport, ink and toner cartridges weighing more than 500g (18oz) are only allowed in checked baggage, in the hold, in their original packaging.
- On flights to or from the US, ink and toner cartridges weighing more than 453g (16oz) are completely forbidden.
Mercurial thermometers and barometers
If you're a representative of a government weather bureau or similar agency and need to carry mercurial thermometers or barometers, please contact us to get approval. You can then take these items in your hand baggage only. This excludes medical and clinical thermometers where separate guidance applies.
Chemical agent monitoring equipment
If you're a staff member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on official travel and need to carry chemical agent monitoring equipment, please contact us to get approval. You can then take it in your hand or checked baggage.
Contact the British Airways Safety Team
If you require additional information regarding your item, or you require approval to bring your item on a flight, please contact our Safety Team. Please allow two UK working days for a reply and remember to supply us with your booking reference.