Air passengers that are bound to travel for Christmas holidays are warned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in United Kingdom not to carry at all dangerous goods such as petrol, poison, gases and explosives, unlike some…
Air passengers that are bound to travel for Christmas holidays are warned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in United Kingdom not to carry at all dangerous goods such as petrol, poison, gases and explosives, unlike some security items (e.g. scissors, knives), which may be carried in the hold.
Geoff Leach, Head of the Dangerous Goods Office at the CAA, said: “The majority of passengers are very careful when packing their luggage and know which items can and cannot be taken on board. However, many passengers still don’t realise that some items, which are relatively innocuous in everyday use, are capable of posing a serious risk to the occupants of an aircraft.”
He added: “One issue at this time of year is Christmas crackers which, unopened with their packaging intact, can be taken on board, but not party poppers. They contain more explosive than crackers, which obviously makes them more dangerous, particularly when sold in retail packs.”
An example of the risks of carrying dangerous goods includes an incident where smoke flares in passenger baggage were set off. Another incident involved the detonation of a number of air bag inflators. Both incidents occurred prior to boarding, but had these occurred during flight the consequences could have been very serious.
According to CAA dangerous goods that must not be taken on board are:
- explosives, such as fireworks, flares, toy gun caps;
- gases, such as culinary blowtorches, camping or compressed gas cylinders, tear gas, mace or CS gas devices
- flammable materials such as petrol, lighter fuel, paint, thinners, non-safety matches, firelighters
- poisons, such as weed killers, insecticides
- corrosives, such as filled car batteries
Cigarette lighters are only allowed ‘on the person’ but are not permitted in passenger baggage, as they are flammable. A rucksack recently caught fire at Gatwick during loading as a result of a lighter that had been packed.
Goods that may be carried by passengers include:
- gas powered hair curlers (one per person), provided the safety cover is fitted at all times. Separate refills are not permitted
- safety matches or a single lighter when carried on the person. These are not permitted in checked-in or carry-on baggage. Separate lighter refills are not permitted
- battery powered wheelchairs in the hold – passengers should contact their airline in advance to check whether special conditions apply
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