Keeping children entertained on flights can be a challenge, and many parents might take to bringing toys onboard with them to help make the trip fun.
But there is one toy in particular that families should avoid packing for the trip.
Toy guns and weapons, often plastic replicas, are banned from many European airline in carry-on and checked baggage, despite them being popular with children.
In TUI’s luggage restrictions, it outlines the common toy specifically as a banned item.
‘Toy guns, replicas, and imitation firearms that could be mistaken for real weapons,’ it says.
Ryanair echoes the same restrictions and explains how toy guns are ‘strictly prohibited on board and in checked luggage’.
The airline states, ‘toy guns (including recreational guns such as paint ball guns), replicas and imitation firearms capable of being mistaken for real weapons,’ are banned.
EasyJet also prohibits any ‘guns firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles’ and include items that ‘appear capable’.
Keeping children entertained on holiday and on long-haul flights can be hard, and many parents pack toys to help make the journey fun
It explains how ‘toy guns, replicas and imitation firearms capable of being mistaken for real weapons’ are included in the restrictions.
Jet2 outlines similar bans, and the airline’s website states, ‘toys/replica guns, plastic catapults, knives (regardless of length of blade), razor blades’ and other items that ‘ in the opinion ofJet2.com, could be used to endanger the aircraft or any of its passengers’ are not permitted in hand luggage.
Back in 2015, a four-year-old boy was frisked by airport security and then forced to hand over his plastic nerf gun after it was deemed a security risk.
James had arrived at East Midlands Airport with his parents, Phil, 44, and Hazel, 38, with his brightly coloured toy – which fires sponge darts – packed in his hand luggage for their flight out to Lanzarote.
But security officers, who were described as ‘over-zealous’ by the boy’s father, then took exception to James’s harmless toy when it was picked up on the system’s X-ray machines.
They demanded he hand it over, and they also performed a thorough patting down and inspection of the primary school child.
James; father, a software engineer, said: ‘Fair enough they are thorough but it just seemed a bit ludicrous to take a plastic gun away from a four-year-old.
‘We were so late by this point I didn’t have time to stop and argue with them so we just had to leave it because we didn’t want to miss our flight.
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Airlines including TUI, Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 all ban passengers from bringing toy guns onboard the plane
‘I explained to James we would get him a new one when we got back from our holiday. We were going for 10 days in Lanzarote over Easter.
‘I thought it was a bit over-zealous of the security staff considering how many people were trying to get through at the time.’
At the time, East Midlands Airport apologised for the inconvenience but pointed out they had offered to post the toy back to the family’s home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Defending the decision a spokesperson said: ‘The safety and security of our passengers is our first priority and all regulations on security are set by the government.
‘This regulation states that no items may be permitted through security that resemble a prohibited item.’
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The popular kids’ toy that’s banned on flights across Europe
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