Dangerous or restricted items

This page advises you:
 

• Dangerous items that are never allowed onboard
• Dangerous items that can be checked into the hold but not allowed in your hand baggage
• Dangerous items that are allowed onboard but need our permission before leaving for the airport.

There are certain dangerous items which are restricted on our flights. These regulations are for your own safety.

The following items are never allowed on our flights in any circumstances.
 

• Cigarette lighters with a blue flame, cigar lighters, and 'strike-anywhere' (non-safety) matches are banned on all flights. 
• Compressed gases, whether deeply refrigerated, flammable, non flammable or poisonous such as butane, oxygen, liquid nitrogen and aqualung cylinders 
• Smart bags (unless the batteries can be removed) 
• Explosives such as fireworks, flares, sparklers, party poppers or other explosives of any kind 
• Corrosives such as acids, alkalis, mercury and wet cell batteries 
• Flammable liquids and solids such as lighter fuel, paints, thinner and firelighters. 
• Radioactive material 
• Oxidising material such as bleaching powder and peroxides 
• Weapons such as disabling sprays, tear gas, mace, pepper spray containing an irritant or incapacitating substance 
• Firearms and ammunition* 
• Electro shock weapons such as tasers, containing dangerous goods such as explosives, compressed gases, lithium batteries etc are forbidden in carry-on baggage or checked baggage or on the person. 
• Briefcases and attaché cases with alarm devices installed 
• Poisons and infectious substances such as insecticides, weed killers and live virus materials 
• Other dangerous articles such as magnetised, offensive or irritating materials 
• Security type attaché cases, cash boxes, cash bags, etc incorporating dangerous goods, such as lithium batteries and/or pyrotechnic material, except as provided in are totally forbidden. 
• Hover boards/segway boards/mini segway/self-balancing board/smart balance/wheels and breeze boards. 
• Shock absorbers**. 
• For flights to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Shanghai and Delhi, you cannot bring any cigarette lighters, including butane, absorbed fuel (Zippo style), battery-powered and novelty lighters*. 
• For flights to and from Shanghai, nail polish and nail polish remover are banned, along with all safety matches and lighters. 
• Liquid oxygen systems are forbidden for transport.
• For flights from India, lighters and dry coconut are not permitted.
• For flights to and from India, e-cigarettes are not permitted.
• For flights to and from India, carriage of restricted articles like satellite phones or GPS devices like GARMIN are prohibited, unless you preapproval from Indian Authorities to carry the same to India.

*It’s possible to bring a firearm and limited quantities of ammunition, but you must contact us in advance. For details on packing firearms and ammunition, please see our sports equipment page.

**Shock absorbers are not allowed onboard but may be carried as cargo, provided they are packed in accordance with cargo regulations. For more information, contact Virgin Atlantic Cargo.

Without prejudice to applicable safety rules, passengers are not permitted to carry the following articles into security restricted areas and on board an aircraft:

(a)   guns, firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles—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;

(b)   stunning devices—devices designed specifically to stun or immobilise, including:
 

• devices for shocking, such as stun guns, tasers and stun batons,
• animal stunners and animal killers,
• disabling and incapacitating chemicals, gases and sprays, such as mace, pepper sprays, capsicum sprays, tear gas, acid sprays and animal repellent sprays;

(c)    objects with a sharp point or sharp edge—objects with a sharp point or sharp edge capable of being used to cause serious injury, including:
 

• items designed for chopping, such as axes, hatchets and cleavers,
• ice axes and ice picks,
• razor blades,
• box cutters,
• knives with blades of more than 6 cm,
• scissors with blades of more than 6 cm as measured from the fulcrum,
• martial arts equipment with a sharp point or sharp edge,
• swords and sabres;

(d)   workmen's tools—tools capable of being used either to cause serious injury or to threaten the safety of aircraft, including:
 

• crowbars,
• drills and drill bits, including cordless portable power drills, 14.11.2015 L 299/20 Official Journal of the European Union EN
• tools with a blade or a shaft of more than 6 cm capable of use as a weapon, such as screwdrivers and chisels,
• saws, including cordless portable power saws,
• blowtorches,
• bolt guns and nail guns;

(e)   blunt instruments—objects capable of being used to cause serious injury when used to hit, including:
 

• baseball and softball bats,
• clubs and batons, such as billy clubs, blackjacks and night sticks,
• martial arts equipment;

(f)    explosives and incendiary substances and devices—explosives and incendiary substances and devices capable, or appearing capable, of being used to cause serious injury or to pose a threat to the safety of aircraft, including:
 

• ammunition,
• blasting caps,
• detonators and fuses,
• replica or imitation explosive devices,
• mines, grenades and other explosive military stores,
• fireworks and other pyrotechnics,
• smoke-generating canisters and smoke-generating cartridges,
• dynamite, gunpowder and plastic explosives.

explosives and incendiary substances and devices—explosives and incendiary substances and devices capable of being used to cause serious injury or to pose a threat to the safety of aircraft, including:
 

• ammunition,
• blasting caps,
• detonators and fuses,
• mines, grenades and other explosive military stores,
• fireworks and other pyrotechnics,
• smoke-generating canisters and smoke-generating cartridges,
• dynamite, gunpowder and plastic explosives.
• Power banks are not permitted in hold bagage, however they can be carried in cabin bag.

Scissors
Scissors with blunt or round-ended blades (metal or plastic) less than 6cms in length, or scissors with metal blades and pointed tips under 3cm are permitted.

US airports will allow metal scissors with pointed tips and a cutting edge four inches or less (measured from the pivot), metal scissors with blunt tips, plastic scissors and ostomy scissors.

Safety matches
Safety matches are permitted in limited quantities on most of our flights, but not if you are flying to or from the Caribbean.

Hypodermic syringes
Hypodermic syringes are permitted in the cabin if you have a medical condition that requires you to inject during the flight. If this is the case please ensure you can produce medical evidence such as a doctor’s letter when you check in, and at security screening. You should keep this with you at all times. Please also ensure that your medication is labelled with the name of the medication and the person it is prescribed to. Find out more about travelling with a medical condition.

Tools such as hammers
US airports will allow screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers and other tools (but not crowbars, drills, hammers or saws), as long as they are seven inches or less in length.

Please note that regardless of these exceptions, security personnel are entitled to confiscate any item that may, in their reasonable opinion, be used or adapted to cause injury or incapacitation.

To take any of the below items onboard the plane, you’ll need to speak with our Special Assistance team. 

To take any of the below items onboard the plane, you’ll need to speak with our Customer Centre team. 

_{Please note - receptacle size may be subject to specific airport restrictions}

_{*The total net quantity of the above 2 mentioned articles must not exceed 2kg or 2L, and the net quantity of each single article must not exceed 0.5kg or 0.5L. Release valves on aerosols must be protected by a cap or other suitable means to prevent inadvertent release of the contents.}