Ryanair Issues Comprehensive List of Banned Items for All Flights
With the festive season now behind us, many holidaymakers are turning their attention to planning their next getaway, whether it's a sunny spring break or a summer vacation. However, travellers must be aware of strict airline regulations to ensure a smooth journey. Budget airline Ryanair has recently published an exhaustive list of items that are strictly prohibited on board its aircraft, both in carry-on and checked luggage. This move aims to enhance flight safety and prevent potential disruptions.
Strictly Prohibited Items on Ryanair Flights
Ryanair has confirmed that the following items are banned from both carry-on and checked baggage due to safety concerns. These include firearms and devices that discharge projectiles, such as pistols, rifles, toy guns, replicas, compressed air guns, bows, crossbows, harpoon guns, slingshots, and stun guns. Additionally, stunning devices like tasers, animal stunners, and incapacitating chemicals such as tear gas or pepper sprays are not permitted.
Explosives and incendiary substances are also prohibited, encompassing ammunition, blasting caps, detonators, replica explosive devices, mines, grenades, fireworks, smoke-generating canisters, dynamite, gunpowder, and plastic explosives. Flammable liquids like paint, turpentine, and alcohol with an ABV over 70% are banned, along with toxic or infectious substances, radioactive materials, corrosives, and more than one litre of edible oil.
Other banned items include lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles such as segways and hoverboards, unless they are approved wheelchairs or mobility equipment, smart bags with non-removable lithium batteries, fire extinguishers without authorisation, lighters with unabsorbed liquid fuel, "strike anywhere" matches, Christmas crackers, energy-saving light bulbs, and items with internal combustion engines. Additionally, any items prohibited by the laws of the destination country or deemed unsafe by Ryanair, such as fragile or perishable goods, or hunting trophies like fish or birds, are not allowed.
Items Restricted to Checked Baggage Only
Certain items must not be carried on board but may be placed in checked baggage. These include objects with sharp points or edges capable of causing serious injury, such as axes, hatchets, ice axes, ice picks, ice skates, razors with blades over 6cm, box cutters, knives with blades exceeding 6cm, scissors with blades over 6cm, martial arts equipment like throwing stars, swords, sabres, swordsticks, meat cleavers, machetes, scalpels, crampons, harpoons, spears, ski poles, and hiking poles. It is crucial to securely wrap any sharp objects in checked luggage to prevent injury to handling staff.
Worker's tools that could pose a threat are also restricted to checked baggage, including crowbars, drills and drill bits, tools with blades or shafts over 6cm like screwdrivers and chisels, saws, blowtorches, bolt guns, nail guns, hammers, pliers, wrenches, and spanners. Blunt instruments such as baseball bats, clubs, batons, martial arts equipment like knuckledusters, tennis rackets, cricket bats, hockey sticks, kayak paddles, skateboards, billiard cues, darts, and fishing rods must also be checked in.
Food and Drink Policies on Ryanair Flights
In related news, Ryanair permits passengers to bring food and non-alcoholic soft drinks on board under its "feel free" policy. However, boarding with hot beverages or consuming personal alcohol during the flight is strictly prohibited. Ryanair explained that this rule is in place to ensure safety, as hot drinks and unauthorised alcohol consumption can pose risks during travel.
Civil Aviation Authority Warnings on Disruptive Behaviour
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued further guidance, emphasising that smoking and vaping are banned on all UK airlines. Passengers who flout these rules or engage in disruptive behaviour, such as intoxication, rudeness, aggression, or other disturbances, may face removal from flights. The CAA warns that such actions can cause significant distress to cabin crew and fellow travellers, potentially jeopardising aircraft safety.
Disruptive passengers risk severe consequences, including arrest, criminal charges, heavy fines, imprisonment for up to two years, and being required to pay the full cost of any flight diversion. Additionally, they may be permanently banned from flying with the airline. It is specifically a criminal offence to board or be on an aircraft while drunk, highlighting the importance of adhering to airline regulations for a safe and enjoyable travel experience.
