Cathay Pacific’s top priority is keeping you safe and secure and ensuring you reach your destination hassle-free. That is why they have set rules and regulations on what you can and can’t carry. Some items are not permitted at all, while others you can carry only in your carry-on baggage, checked baggage, or both, with some restrictions. Read on to learn about controlled and banned items under Cathay Pacific’s baggage policy.
List of Controlled Items On Cathay Pacific Flights
You can carry some items onboard if you follow the required guidelines. Cathay Pacific flies to airports with strict security checks, and you could have items permanently confiscated if you don’t comply with the rules.
Controlled Items Carried in Checked or Cabin Baggage (With Restrictions)
Some of the items mentioned below can go in your checked and carry-on baggage; however, some restrictions apply. Let us check them:
- You can carry gels, liquids, powders, and aerosols onboard. However, there are rules for the same. Each item shouldn’t exceed 100 ml. Carry them in a resealable, transparent plastic bag. The bag shouldn’t exceed 1 liter per passenger. Make sure the items fit comfortably in your bag. Use shower gel/hair gel for gels; sunscreen/roll-ons for liquids and lotions; Vaseline/toothpaste for paste; and so on. There are exceptions for the liquid measurement. For instance, medicines like diabetic kits, baby food, expressed breast milk, and so on can exceed 100 ml. Although these items are exempt, security personnel will verify them first. Some countries restrict carrying powders, so check beforehand to avoid inconvenience.
- Inflatable objects, mainly those for sporting purposes, will be allowed only if you deflate them.
- The carriage of food items varies by country, so you need to check that in advance. You can carry food items in the cabin as long as you follow the baggage limits. You cannot bring Jackfruit and durian.
- The airline will accept Smart bags with lithium batteries on condition. The batteries shouldn’t contain more than 0.3 g of lithium (metal) or 2.7 Wh of lithium (ion).
- You can bring Alcohol under certain conditions. The beverage should be in its retail packaging. The alcoholic content should be between 24% and 70%. Each person shouldn’t carry more than 5 liters of alcoholic beverages.
Controlled Items Carried Only In Cabin Baggage
Some items cannot go in checked baggage. However, you may take them as carry-on under certain requirements:
You may carry electronic cigarettes on board either in your cabin luggage or in person. You can also not recharge e-cigarettes or their batteries. Protect the cigarettes so they don’t activate accidentally. However, there is a ban on importing electronic cigarettes to some countries: Taiwan, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Controlled Items Permitted Only In Checked Baggage
You cannot take the items below in your carry-on, but you may bring them in your checked baggage, provided you meet the requirements.
Check Guns/Firearms/Any Other Devices Discharging Projectiles. The items in the list include:
- All kinds of firearms (revolvers, shotguns, rifles, pistols)
- Starter pistols, signal flare pistols
- Crossbows, arrows, bows
- Catapults, slingshots
- Replicas/Imitation firearms
- Spearguns, harpoon guns
Objects having sharp edges/sharp points
These include:
- Razor blades
- Ice picks/Ice axes
- Box cutters
- Hatchets/cleavers/axes and any other items used for chopping
- Scissors having blades over 6 cm
- Martial arts equipment (particularly those with pointed or sharp edges)
- Sabres and swords
- Umbrellas
NOTE: Carrying certain knives without a proper excuse is a criminal offense. If you come across knives like flick, lock, or butterfly knives, seek police assistance.
Workmen Tools
These tools can cause serious injury or harm to the aircraft. The ones in the list include:
- Crowbars
- Blowtorches
- Nail guns/ bolt guns
- Saws (cordless powerful saws also included)
- Drill/drill bits (Cordless portable power saws)
- Tools with a shaft or blade exceeding 6 cm, like chisels or screwdrivers
Blunt Instruments
These include objects resulting in serious injuries if used for hitting, like:
- Softball bats/ baseball
- Martial art equipment
- Batons and clubs like night sticks, blackjack, and billy clubs
Controlled Items That Need Visual Verification
These include items you can carry in checked or cabin baggage; however, the airport team must verify them by sight to ensure safety and security. Check the list below:
- Ammunition (quantities shouldn’t be more than 5 kg or 11 lbs per person)
- Avalanche rescue backpack
- Fuel container and camping stove (containing flammable liquid fuel)
- Dry ice (not exceeding 2.5 kg/5 lbs/person)
- Thermometer/mercury barometer
- Small gas cylinders (non-flammable)
- Battery-powered wheelchairs; any similar mobility device (having lithium or spillable batteries)
- Spare lithium batteries
If you are carrying any of the controlled items mentioned above either in your checked or carry-on luggage, let the customer service team know in advance. They’ll check your items thoroughly and approve them if they deem them safe to fly.
List Of Banned Items On Cathay Pacific Flights
Keeping safety concerns in mind, ensure your bags do not contain any of the items mentioned below at all. If the items don’t meet the requirements, authorities will confiscate them.
Stunning devices
These include:
- Stuns guns
- Stun batons
- Tasers
- Animal killers/ animal stunners
- Electric stunning devices
- Incapacitating and disabling chemicals; sprays and gases like pepper spray, capsicum spray, tear gas, mace, and so on.
- Electric stunning device
Incendiary Substances and Explosives
These include certain items that may pose a serious injury, like the ones mentioned below:
- Blasting caps
- Fuses and detonators
- Blasting caps
- Grenades/mines
- Plastic explosives/dynamite/gunpowder
- Cartridges and smoke-generating canisters
- Fireworks/other pyrotechnics
Flammable Items
You cannot bring flammable substance on the aircraft. Some examples include:
- Glazing gases, camping gas, alongside other harmful gases
- Flammable liquids such as diesel, petrol, and lighter fluid
- Liquid adhesives, thinner, and paints
- Flammable solids including coal, disposal BBQ, and non-safety matches
Harmful Materials
The list includes:
- Solids/oxidising liquids such as bleaching powder, bleach, peroxides
- Poisonous and toxic substances like cyanides, weed killer, pesticides, and arsenic
- Radioactive materials
- Corrosives and more
Dangerous items
You cannot travel with dangerous items on a Cathay Pacific flight. These include:
- Magnetized materials
- Attache briefcases which have alarmed devices installed
- Pyrotechnic material
- Small vehicles run by lithium-ion batteries, including hoverboards, Airwheel, Solowheel, mini Segways
- Laser pointer
- Apple recalled 15-inch MacBook Pro models (sold from 2015-2017). Defective batteries in these MacBook models may pose an overheating risk, creating a a safety hazard. That’s why passengers shouldn’t carry affected models onboard until the manufacturer verifies the battery is safe or replaces it.
Country-specific restrictions also apply; for example, walkie-talkies or pagers aren’t allowed on Dubai-bound flights. Similarly, importing satellite phones into India is strictly prohibited. Some classes of laser pointers are also banned in Switzerland.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Besides ammunition and firearms, Hong Kong law bans knuckle dusters, tear gas sprays, and extendable batons. Offenders will be heavily fined or may face up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Also, as per Hong Kong law, cannabidiol in candles, oils, and gels is considered a dangerous drug. Anyone who consumes,,possesses, or traffics it will face severe penalties, including imprisonment.
Rules for Baterries On Cathay Pacific Flights
Here is a more detailed insight into the different battery varieties:
You can carry spare batteries which should however, have a capacity of below 100 wh (watt/hour). Each passengers may bring 20 pieces of spare batteries in their cabin bags and ensure you pack them well to prevent any hazard. You cannot bring spare batteries as checked luggage. Also, you cannot carry Non-rechargeable batteries having over 2 gram of lithium in any baggage and must go in as cargo.
Medium lithium batteries should be be between 100 and 160 wh. Each passenger can carry two pieces of medium lithium batteries. You can bring them in your checked baggage as well inside equipment.
You cannot carry large lithium batteries in your bags at all. There are examples for wheelchairs or similar assistive devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. However, for further assistance and information you must contact Cathay Pacific’s customer care.
This was a jist of some of the restricted and banned items on Cathay Pacific flights. Do your research well befire getting onboard to prevent any untoward incident. If confused about what to carry and what not to you may confirm with Cathay Pacific’s customer care team or even refer to their official website. To know more about Cathay Pacific’s baggage policy, do check our blog as well.