Power Banks, Liquids & What You Can Carry on a Flight from India
Indian airport security has a handful of rules that trip people up on almost every flight, and a few are stricter here than abroad. Here is a plain rundown of what travels in your cabin bag, what has to go in the hold, and what you simply cannot bring on a flight from India.
First, the basic allowance. In economy on most Indian carriers you get one hand bag of up to seven kilograms, within about 55 by 35 by 25 centimetres, plus one small personal item such as a laptop bag or handbag. This one-bag limit follows a longstanding BCAS rule, and airlines can be strict about it on full flights, so weigh your cabin bag at home. Beyond the size and weight, though, most of the surprises are about what is inside it. That is what the rest of this guide covers.
The rules, item by item
Power banks
Power banks must go in your cabin bag, never in checked luggage. Up to 100 watt-hours is fine; between 100 and 160 Wh usually needs the airline's approval. Many Indian airlines now also ask you not to use or charge a power bank during the flight, so keep it packed away once on board.
Spare lithium batteries
Loose lithium batteries ride in the cabin, not the hold. Tape over the terminals or keep each one in its own pouch so nothing can short against keys or coins.
Liquids, gels and pastes
On international flights the 100 ml rule applies: each container 100 ml or less, all together in one clear resealable bag. Anything bigger goes in checked baggage. Baby food and essential medicines are exempt but may be screened separately.
Lighters and matches
On Indian flights, lighters and matchboxes are not allowed in your cabin bag or in checked baggage. There is no safe place to pack them, so leave them at home.
E-cigarettes and vapes
E-cigarettes and vapes have been banned in India since 2019. Do not carry them at all: not in the cabin, not in the hold, and not on your person, as possession itself is an offence in India.
Knives, scissors and sharp tools
Knives, long-bladed scissors, razor blades and tools must go in checked baggage, not the cabin. A small blunt pair of scissors and a cartridge razor are usually fine to carry on, but anything with an exposed blade is not.
Medicines
Medicines are allowed in your cabin bag. Carry the prescription or the doctor's note for anything you might be asked about, especially injectables or controlled medicines on international trips.
Food and snacks
Packed food is fine to carry. Large amounts of homemade liquids and pastes such as pickles or ghee count as liquids on international flights, so pack those in checked baggage to avoid a hold-up at security.
Aerosols, perfumes and deodorants
Personal aerosols, perfumes and deodorants are allowed in small quantities, within the usual 100 ml per container limit on international flights. Large or pressurised cans can be refused, so keep the full-size ones for checked baggage.
Drones
Drones are not cabin items and are treated as restricted. They generally need to be declared and carried in checked baggage, and flying one in India requires registration and permits. Several airlines and airports have their own limits, so confirm before you travel rather than find out at the security belt.
Duty-free liquids and connecting flights
Liquids you buy after security, in the duty-free shop, are allowed past the 100 ml rule because they come sealed in a tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside. The catch is connections: if you have a layover and pass through security again, especially in another country, that sealed bag can be questioned or confiscated unless it is still sealed and the receipt is visible. If you are connecting, it is safer to buy that bottle at your final stop rather than at the start.
A couple of things worth knowing
Most big Indian airports have dropped the old hand-baggage stamp in favour of CCTV monitoring, though a few smaller ones still stamp the cabin tag or your boarding pass, so hold on to your boarding pass until you are on the plane either way. These rules are set by the BCAS, the country's civil aviation security regulator, and can be tightened by individual airlines, so if you are carrying anything unusual, a quick look at your airline's baggage page before you fly saves a surprise at the gate. When in doubt, the safe default is simple: anything with a battery, a blade or a flame is a problem in the wrong bag, so think about those before you zip up. New to all of this? Our first-time flyer guide for India walks through the whole airport process step by step.
Sources: the 100 ml liquids rule and the items barred from the cabin are published by the Airports Authority of India; the cabin-baggage weight allowance and the BCAS one-hand-bag rule are set out on the IndiGo and Air India baggage pages.