22 pairs of scissors, eight toy guns and two blow torches – just some of the items confiscated at Manchester Airport security in one morning
Manchester Airport is urging passengers travelling during the school holidays to make sure they know hand luggage rules, after scissors, blow torches and two packs of darts were among almost 400 items confiscated in just one morning.
The most-confiscated item by far was the cigarette lighter. Passengers are permitted to carry one lighter with them, so long as it fits into a clear resealable plastic bag and contains under 100ml of liquid – but bringing through multiple lighters is not allowed, which leads to many passengers having to turn them in. 284 lighters were handed in over the course of the morning.
Also turned in were 22 pairs of scissors, five multi-tools, four corkscrews, two hacksaws and two packs of darts – all of which fell foul of UK aviation security regulations prohibiting sharp items or blades with a length of more than 6cm (2.3in) in your hand luggage.
Eight toy guns were confiscated over the course of the morning – anything that is designed to resemble a firearm, or could be disguised as one, cannot be carried in hand luggage. A number of liquid items over 100ml were also confiscated – these included 12 cans of deodorant, two large soft drinks bottles, a bottle of shower gel and a 1L bottle of vodka.
Other items that failed to make the cut included a hammer and two small blow torches often used by chefs.
Passengers travelling during the busy Easter school holiday period are reminded that attempting to bring non-compliant items through airport security causes delays for themselves and for others. Airport security bosses are encouraging them to reacquaint themselves with the rules for hand luggage before packing for their journey.
Graham Matthews, Head of Terminal Security for Terminal 3 at Manchester Airport, said: "We want passengers to feel like they’re beginning their holidays here at Manchester Airport. Almost every passenger will wait for less than 15 minutes to get to security so they can then get through and relax in the departure lounge within minutes of arriving here.
“But each time we have to pull a bag aside for a manual search it takes several minutes and every search adds up and can slow down the whole security process – not only for the passenger carrying a non-compliant item, but also for the passengers behind them in the queue. The variety of items we seized in just a couple of hours shows what we deal with every day. If we can cut that it will help everyone get through security even faster.
“We’re partway through installing new state-of-the-art CT scanners that will allow passengers to leave large electrical items in their bags and bring through full-size containers of liquid in their hand luggage. You may encounter one of these new machines if you travel through this summer, but until that work is complete across the airport, you might also encounter an older machine so the rules on liquids and electricals will remain the same as they have been over the past 18 years.
“Please bring liquids in clear plastic containers of 100ml or less, in a clear resealable bag, and ensure you remove large electrical items from your bag and put them in a separate tray for screening. This helps us to keep you safe and get you through security checks more quickly, so you can get on with enjoying your holiday."
The full list of items
- 284 cigarette lighters
- 22 pairs of scissors
- 12 cans of deodorant
- 8 toy guns
- 8 bullet casings
- 5 multi-tools
- 5 knives or blades longer than 6cm / 2.3in
- 4 corkscrews
- 2 hacksaws
- 2 packs of darts
- 2 large drinks bottles
- 2 blow torches
- 1 bottle of shower gel
- 1 hammer
- 1 1L bottle of vodka
To view the current UK hand luggage restrictions in full, visit https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions.