Prohibited items

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What not to carry as cabin baggage on an Etihad flight

Baggage

View list of prohibited items ►  

Some items may not necessarily be treated in the same manner by other airlines or at certain airports. We accept no responsibility if certain airports/airlines do not allow carriage of one or more of these items.



The following items cannot be carried into the aircraft cabin but may be allowed as checked baggage:

Pointed weapons and sharp objects

  • Axes and hatchets
  • Arrows and darts
  • Harpoons and spears
  • Ice axes and ice picks
  • Ice skates
  • Lockable or flick knives with blades of any length
  • Knives
  • Meat cleavers
  • Machetes
  • Open razors and blades (excluding safety or disposable razors with blades enclosed in cartridge)
  • Sabres, swords and swordsticks
  • Scalpels
  • Scissors with blades more than 6cm in length
  • Ski and walking / hiking poles
  • Throwing stars
  • Tools that have the potential to be used as a pointed or edged weapon such as drills, drill bits, box cutters, utility knives, saws, screwdrivers, crowbars, hammers, pliers, wrenches, spanners, blow torches.

Blunt instruments

  • Baseball and softball bats
  • Clubs or batons
  • Cricket bats
  • Golf clubs
  • Hockey sticks
  • Lacrosse sticks
  • Kayak and canoe paddles
  • Skateboards
  • Billiards, snooker and pool cues
  • Fishing rods
  • Martial arts equipment such as knuckle dusters, clubs, coshes, rice flails, nun chucks, kabatons, kubasaunts

eCigarettes

Electronic cigarettes may be carried on board Etihad Airways flights, though use of the device is strictly prohibited. Smoking of any kind, including the use of lighters, matches or e-cigarettes is not allowed anywhere on board, including the toilets.

Others

  • Inflated articles (inflated balls, balloons, etc. should be deflated)

Applicable to US flights only

Your electronic devices and their accessories must be charged and you may be asked to switch the device on.

Loose or spare batteries, power banks, e-cigarettes, e-pipes or other personal vaporizers must be placed into your cabin-baggage or kept in your pocket or purse - these items are not allowed in your checked baggage.

Powder substances or granular material of 350ml/350g/12oz or greater are not allowed in cabin baggage unless listed as an exempted item. Any item exceeding the limit may be placed in checked baggage.

Exempted Items:

  • Medically prescribed powder substances including baby formula and cremated human remains provided they are sealed, not tampered and have supporting evidence
  • Duty free items in Security Tamper Evident Bags purchased at Duty Free after clearing US Customs and Border Protection in Abu Dhabi International Airport

Flying from Australia? Please read important new restrictions on powder substances

Guests travelling from Australia will be subject to restrictions on the carriage of inorganic powder substances in the aircraft cabin. 

Inorganic powder substances of 350ml/350g/12oz must be placed in your checked baggage. 

Examples include salt, sand, talcum powders, powdered deodorants, foot powders, detergent powders and cleaning products.

Exempted items

  • All organic powders e.g. powdered baby formula, powdered food, coffee, protein powder, flour, spices, sugar, most cosmetics, Epsom salts
  • Powdered baby formula
  • Prescription and non-prescription medicines (including special dietary products)
  • Medical items required during the flight, accompanied by supporting evidence (e.g. valid doctor’s letter) 
  • Cremated human remains
  • Duty free items in security tamper evident bags

Dangerous goods & restricted articles

Guests are not permitted to carry these items through the screening point and in sterile/secured areas of an airport and in the aircraft cabin.
  • Acids and alkalis such as wet batteries that may spill
  • Corrosive or bleaching substances such as mercury, chlorine, etc.
  • Disabling or incapacitating sprays such as mace, pepper, tear gas
  • Radioactive material such as medicinal or commercial isotopes
  • Poisons
  • Infectious or hazardous  biological material such as infected blood, bacteria and viruses
  • Material capable of spontaneous ignition or combustion
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Lithium batteries above 160Wh
  • Gas and gas containers (such as butane, propane, acetylene, oxygen).
  • Fireworks, flares and other pyrotechnics (including party poppers and toy caps).
  • Non-safety matches
  • Smoke generating canisters or cartridges
  • Flammable liquid fuel such as petrol / gasoline, diesel, lighter fluid, alcohol, ethanol
  • Aerosol spray paint
  • Turpentine and paint thinner
  • Alcoholic beverages exceeding 70% by volume
Dangerous goods & chemicals sign
  • Pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, pellet guns, etc.
  • Replica and imitation firearms
  • Components of firearms (excluding telescopic sighting devices & sights)
  • Toy guns of all types
  • Crossbows
  • Catapults
  • Harpoon and spear guns
  • Stun or shocking devices such as cattle prods, ballistic conducted energy weapons, etc.
  • Lighters shaped like firearms
Prohibited weapons sign
  • Ammunition
  • Blasting caps
  • Detonators and fuses
  • Explosives and explosive devices
  • Replica or imitation explosive material or devices
  • Grenades
Explosives' hazard sign

Small vehicles and bags powered by lithium batteries

All vehicles powered by lithium batteries are restricted for safety and security reasons. This includes all toys, semi-professional or professional items commonly referred to as Airwheels, Mini Segways, Hoverboards or Solowheels. We will not be able to accept any of these items as checked or cabin baggage at any time. 

hoverboard and scooter

Read more

Smart bags are both check-in and carry-on bags with integrated lithium batteries, motors, power banks, GPS, GSM, Bluetooth, RFID or Wi-Fi technology.

When travelling with your smart bag, always declare this to our check-in staff.

You can travel with your single lithium battery powered smart bag, provided that: 

  • Your bag is powered only by one single lithium battery, which has a watt/hour rating lower than 100Wh.
  • Smart bags powered by a single lithium battery with a watt hour rating between 100Wh-160Wh will require prior approval from our Etihad Dangerous Goods team.
  • The installed lithium battery and power bank can and will be removed by you and packed individually ensuring it is protected from possible short-circuit. You must carry this battery and power bank in your carry-on baggage or as a personal item on board. It cannot be packed in your checked baggage.
  • When you wish to use your smart bag as carry-on cabin baggage, it must fit within the allowed cabin baggage limit - both by weight and by dimensions.
  • You will not be allowed to use your smart bag as a charging device or charge your bag during the flight. 

Please note that you will not be able to travel if your smart bag is powered by a lithium battery with a watt hour rating of more than 160Wh.

For your security, we cannot accept any bag, where the battery, power bank or both are an integral part of the bag and cannot be removed. We will be unable to accept your smart bag as checked-in nor as carry-on bag with the lithium battery and the power bank installed or contained within it.

LAGS (Liquid, Aerosols and Gels)

These items are classified as LAGS:

  • Water, drinks, soups, syrups, jams, stews, sauces and pastes
  • Foods in sauces or containing a high liquid content
  • Creams, lotions, cosmetics and oils, perfumes, sprays, gels, including hair and shower gel
  • Contents of pressurized containers, including shaving foam and deodorants
  • Pastes including toothpaste, liquid-solid mixtures, mascara, lip gloss or lip balm and any item of similar consistency at room temperature

Zamzam water
You can carry up to 5 litres of suitably packed Zamzam water as checked baggage in addition to your applicable baggage (piece or weight) allowance, free of charge.

It must be safely packed and labelled in a sealed plastic container, covered by a protective cardboard box, widely available at pilgrimage sites.

If you wish to carry Zamzam water as hand baggage, a maximum of 100ml is allowed in a transparent, re-sealable plastic container or bag.

You may not carry more than 5 litres of Zamzam water in your checked baggage and 100ml in your hand baggage. It is not possible to pay to take more as excess baggage.

LAGS (Liquid, Aerosols and Gels)

Important airport restrictions and regulations

Airports have different security restrictions which limit the quantity of LAGs you can carry. Please be familiar with the regulations of the airports in your itinerary. 

Restrictions only apply to cabin baggage. You can still pack your liquids, aerosols and gels in your checked baggage if you wish to.

Duty Free Purchases

  • Carry LAG items purchased at airport retail outlets or on board the aircraft in a Security Tamper-Evident Bag (STEB). Generally, these bags are provided by the retail outlet where the LAG is purchased.
  • To avoid confiscation, the security tamper-evident bag should not be opened before going through security checkpoints.
  • If transiting between airports, do not open the bag until you pass through the final security checkpoint at your last airport of transit.

Airport Regulations:

UAE 

Guests travelling or transiting through UAE airports will have to follow the following regulations:
  • Carry all LAGs in a transparent re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity of 1 litre.
  • The contents of each container must not exceed 100ml.
  • Each Guest may carry only one such bag, which must be presented separately from other cabin baggage at security screening checkpoints.
  • Exceptions may be made for medications, baby milk/foods and special dietary or other medical requirements.
  • Most Duty Free shops at major international airports now comply with new regulations. However, if items purchased at other airports do not fulfill the new requirements, your purchase may be confiscated at Abu Dhabi International Airport before departure.
  • At the Airport, take off your jackets and/or coats and present these for screening.
  • Present laptops and other large electronic equipment for screening separately.

Europe

These norms are applicable to cabin baggage carried by:

  • Guests transiting through an EU airport
  • Guests departing from an EU airport
  • Guests travelling to/from Toronto/Brussels

As per the new norms:

  • All liquids, gels, pastes, pressurised containers must be carried in a transparent re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity of 1 litre.
  • The contents of no container must exceed 100ml.
  • These items must be presented separately from other cabin baggage at security screening check points.
  • Duty free products bought from non-EU duty-free shops or onboard sales will not be accepted as carry-on baggage.

Australia

The Australian Government has implemented security restrictions which limit the quantity of LAGs that passengers may take on-board the aircraft for flights to Australia. These restrictions do not apply to checked-in baggage.

In general, the only LAGs that are allowed in a passenger's carry-on baggage are:

  • LAGs in containers of 100 milliliters or less, in one transparent re-sealable bag. The four sides of the re-sealable area should not add up to more than 80cm (e.g. 20x20cm or 15x25cm).
  • Passengers are not permitted to have LAGs in their carry-on baggage in excess of these restrictions.

If you are on a connecting flight to Australia via Abu Dhabi, and have LAGs as carry-on baggage in excess of the permitted quantities, they may be confiscated by the Abu Dhabi Airport Authorities during security checks at the transfer point or boarding gate.

To avoid disappointment, it is recommended that Duty Free LAGs in excess of the approved quantities are purchased on board the aircraft during your flight from Abu Dhabi to Australia.

Know more ► 

USA

Guests travelling to the US must ensure:

  • All liquids, gels, pastes, pressurised containers must be carried in a transparent re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity of 1 litre.
  • The contents of no container must exceed 100 millilitres.
  • These items should be presented separately from other cabin baggage at security screening check points.