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Items that are never allowed onboard

 

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.

Items that are prohibited to carry in your hand baggage or on yourself

 

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.

Hold baggage - List of prohibited articles

 

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.
  • For flights from India, power banks are not permitted in hold bagage, however they can be carried in cabin bag.

Restricted items in your hand baggage

It's best practise to check with the airport you are departing from in case of any further restrictions.

 

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.

Special Assistance items you’ll need to our permission to take onboard the plane

 

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

Item Hand
baggage		 Checked in baggage Carried on person

Battery-powered wheelchairs or other similar mobility devices with non-spillable wet batteries or with batteries which comply with Special Provision A123 or A199.

No

Yes

No

Battery-powered wheelchairs or other similar mobility devices with spillable batteries or lithium batteries.

No

Yes

No

Battery-powered mobility aids with lithium ion batteries (collapsible), lithium ion battery must be removed and carried in the cabin.

Yes

No

No
Oxygen or air, gaseous, cylinders required for medical use. The cylinder must not exceed 5kg gross weight. Note: Liquid oxygen systems are forbidden for transport. If approved, the cylinder can only be carried but not used onboard.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Items you’ll need our permission to take onboard the plane

 

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

Item Hand
baggage		 Checked in baggage Carried on person
Ammunition (cartridges for weapons), securely packaged (in Div. 1.4S, UN 0012 or UN 0014 only), in quantities not exceeding 5kg gross weight per person for that person’s own use. Allowances for more than one person must not be combined into one or more packages. No Yes No
Camping stoves and fuel containers that have contained a flammable liquid fuel, with empty fuel tank and/or fuel container. Yes No No
Internal combustion or fuel cell engines, must meet A70. Apparatus needs to have never contained any fuel or proof of documentation is required, written or electronic, stating completion of adequate measures to nullify hazards by a flushing and purging procedure. No Yes No
Mercury barometer or thermometer carried by a representative of a government weather bureau or similar official agency. Yes No No
Security-type equipment containing lithium batteries No Yes No
Lithium batteries, spare/loose with a Watt-hour rating exceeding 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh for consumer electronic devices and PMED or with a lithium metal content exceeding 2g but not exceeding 8g for PMED only. Maximum of two spare batteries in carry-on baggage only. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits. Yes No Yes
Avalanche rescue backpack, one (1) per person, containing a cylinder of compressed gas in Div. 2.2. May also be equipped with a pyrotechnic trigger mechanism containing less than 200 mg net of Div. 1.4S. The backpack must be packed in such a manner that it cannot be accidentally activated. The airbags within the backpacks must be fitted with pressure relief valves. Please note: these are not permitted on flights to/from the US. Yes Yes No
Carbon dioxide, solid (dry ice), in quantities not exceeding 2.5kg per person when used to pack perishables not subject to these 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 2.5kg or less dry ice. Yes Yes No
Chemical Agent Monitoring Equipment, when carried by staff members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on official travel. Yes Yes No
Heat producing articles such as underwater torches (diving lamps) and soldering irons. Yes Yes No
Lithium battery-powered electronic devices. Lithium ion batteries for portable (including medical) electronic devices, a Wh rating exceeding 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh. For portable medical electronic devices only, lithium metal batteries with a lithium content exceeding 2g but not exceeding 8g. Yes Yes Yes
Small non-flammable gas cartridges, containing carbon dioxide or other suitable gas in Division 2.2. Up to two (2) small cylinders fitted into a life jacket or vest. Not more than one (1) device per passenger, and up to two (2) spare cartridges per person, not more than four (4) cylinders up to 50 mL water capacity for other devices. Yes Yes Yes

These are the items you can carry without the need for our approval

Item Hand baggage Checked in baggage Carried on person
Alcoholic beverages, when in retail packagings, containing more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol by volume, in receptacles not exceeding 5L, with a total net quantity per person of 5L. Yes Yes Yes

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

Item Hand baggage Checked in baggage Carried on person
Aerosols in Division 2.2, with no subsidiary risk, for sporting or home use. Yes Yes No
Non-radioactive medicinal or toilet articles (including aerosols) such as hair sprays, perfumes, colognes and medicines containing alcohol* Yes Yes No

*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.

Item Hand baggage Checked in baggage Carried on person
Fuel cells powering portable electronic devices (e.g. cameras, cellular phones, laptop computers, and camcorders). Yes No Yes
Hair curlers containing hydrocarbon gas, up to one (1) per passenger or crew-member, provided that the safety cover is securely fitted over the heating element. These hair curlers must not be used on board the aircraft at any time. Gas refills for such curlers are not permitted in checked or carry-on baggage. Yes Yes No
Insulated packagings containing refrigerated liquid nitrogen (dry shipper), fully absorbed in a porous material containing only non-dangerous goods. Yes Yes No
Medical or clinical thermometer, which contains mercury, one (1) per person for personal use, when in its protective case. No Yes Yes
Non-flammable, non-toxic gas cylinders worn for the operation of mechanical limbs. Also, spare cylinders of a similar size if required to ensure an adequate supply for the duration of the journey. Yes Yes Yes
Non-infectious specimens packed with small quantities of flammable liquid, must meet A180. Yes Yes No
Permeation devices - must meet A41. No Yes No
Portable electronic devices (including medical devices) containing lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries, such as watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular phones, lap-top computers, camcorders, etc., when carried by passengers or crew for personal use. For lithium metal batteries the lithium metal content must not exceed 2g and for lithium ion batteries the Wh rating must not exceed 100Wh. Devices in checked baggage must be completely switched off and must be protected from damage. Each person is limited to a maximum of 15 PED’s Yes Yes Yes
All spare batteries, including lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries, for such portable electronic devices must be carried in carry-on baggage only. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits. - Lithium metal batteries: the lithium metal content must not exceed 2g. Lithium ion batteries: the Watt-hour rating must not exceed 100Wh. Each person is limited to a maximum of 20 spare batteries. Yes No Yes
Radioisotopic cardiac pacemakers or other devices, including those powered by lithium batteries, implanted into a person or fitted externally, or radiopharmaceuticals contained within the body of a person as the result of medical treatment. No No Yes
Safety matches (one small packet) or a cigarette lighter that does not contain unabsorbed liquid fuel, other than liquefied gas, intended for use by an individual when carried on the person. Lighter fuel and lighter refills are not permitted on one’s person or in checked or carry-on baggage. No No Yes
Electronic cigarettes (including e-cigars, e-pipes, other personal vaporizers) containing batteries must be individually protected to prevent accidental activation. Yes No Yes

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