Smoking Airside

[RAPA Pilot]

Is smoking airside legal in the UK?
(obviously not stood next to the bowser!!!)

Cheers
R

[Dual ground]

Certainly not at airports run by the BAA. Can't speak for anywhere else.

[Capetonian]

Maybe this should be under : "You know you're in Africa when ..."

I caught 'someone' smoking under the wing of an aircraft whilst it was being refuelled. This was many, many years ago.

When I went and gave him a bollocking, he replied with the famous : "Do you know who I am?"

I did know who he was. He was the GM for Southern Africa of the airline concerned.

[con-pilot]

Very easy to smoke airside, just walk over to the fence that separates the airside from public area, put the cigarette on the public side and smoke away.



Once in a coutry, that will remain undisclosed, we (crew) had waited for over an hour for tranportation to pick us at a remote parking spot. We had not even seen a vehice come anywhere near us. Repeated requests on the radio had gone unanswered.

So, I walked behind the aircraft and lit a cigarette.


There was someone there in three minutes.

True story.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Thinks: Why on earth smoke? Never having been afflicted I find it difficult to understand... sorry.

[RAPA Pilot]

We were delayed and my Client asked if it was OK to stand outside the aircraft and have a smoke. I couldnt think of a reason under UK law as to why not so he did, but wonderered if it was legal.

R

[AircraftOperations]

Passengers can smoke airside if an "outdoor" smoking area is available at an airport. Depends if you mean on the apron or not I suppose.

[boardingpass]

At FCO there is a smoking room airside. But then again, in Rome there is also a smoking room in IKEA.