Magnetic hazards in hold baggage
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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Are magnets still a hazard in hold baggage?
I flew with a party to Italy from a UK airport recently. The party's common hold baggage included a large amplifier/loudspeaker in a transit case. Browsing the airport's regulations for another reason more recently, I read the following about items that must not be taken on board an aircraft:
For safety reasons, there are a number of items that cannot be taken onto an aircraft, so please do not pack them in any luggage:
* Instruments containing magnets;
The regulations of most British airports contain the same prohibition of baggage containing magnets, but the restriction does not appear in British airline Ts & Cs. I've not had time to check the situation outside the UK.
The public information I can find indicates that officially baggage containing magnets are still classified by IATA & CAA as dangerous goods, because of it's potential for affecting aircraft magnetic compasses if loaded in close proximity to the sensors. Carriage of hold baggage containing magnets is restricted (but not totally prohibited) and baggage with magnetic hazards can be carried if it is declared and labelled appropriately.
I can't be uncommon for pax to travel with magnetic items in their hold baggage so I assume there must be procedures in place to cope with this.
As an engineer I know that the external field from the majority of items with magnets (electric toothbrushes, shavers etc) will negligible at a distance, but there will always be a few exceptions such as a large louspeaker. The owner of the this amplifier/loudspeaker tells me that he has never been asked any questions about it when flying with it in Europe many times before.
My question is: Is hold baggage containing magnets still regarded as a safety hazard, or has GPS navigation rendered this restriction largely unnecessary?
STAN 37
For safety reasons, there are a number of items that cannot be taken onto an aircraft, so please do not pack them in any luggage:
* Instruments containing magnets;
The regulations of most British airports contain the same prohibition of baggage containing magnets, but the restriction does not appear in British airline Ts & Cs. I've not had time to check the situation outside the UK.
The public information I can find indicates that officially baggage containing magnets are still classified by IATA & CAA as dangerous goods, because of it's potential for affecting aircraft magnetic compasses if loaded in close proximity to the sensors. Carriage of hold baggage containing magnets is restricted (but not totally prohibited) and baggage with magnetic hazards can be carried if it is declared and labelled appropriately.
I can't be uncommon for pax to travel with magnetic items in their hold baggage so I assume there must be procedures in place to cope with this.
As an engineer I know that the external field from the majority of items with magnets (electric toothbrushes, shavers etc) will negligible at a distance, but there will always be a few exceptions such as a large louspeaker. The owner of the this amplifier/loudspeaker tells me that he has never been asked any questions about it when flying with it in Europe many times before.
My question is: Is hold baggage containing magnets still regarded as a safety hazard, or has GPS navigation rendered this restriction largely unnecessary?
STAN 37
Last edited by STAN_37; 4th Nov 2009 at 11:51. Reason: to clarify title & remove typo
Intereting point. I believe that a lot of the flux gate magnetometers used for compasses are in the wings - that was in the AAIB report on the problems at LCY from the old rails under the taxiway - so wouldn't be affected that much. I think the inertial navigators use almost exclusively the laser ring gyro, so I doubt they would be affected at all. Smaller aircraft may well have problems, though.
It is historical in origin, like pacemakers in bulk being 'hazardous cargo', because back in the '80s, some were made with plutonium batteries. That hasn't been the case now for over 20 years, but IATA hasn't caught up. Sometimes one wonders if they are still in the age of Lancastrians and Dakotas....
It is historical in origin, like pacemakers in bulk being 'hazardous cargo', because back in the '80s, some were made with plutonium batteries. That hasn't been the case now for over 20 years, but IATA hasn't caught up. Sometimes one wonders if they are still in the age of Lancastrians and Dakotas....
