Esbit tablet in planes

score:25

Is it allowed to carry Esbit solid fuel on commercial airplanes?

It is not allowed to carry Esbit solid fuel in your hand baggage. With regard to the provisions of the checked baggage we recommend to directly check with your airline. If you contact your airline, you should refer to the UN number of our solid fuel, which reads as follows: 1328

And, should it not be permitted, or you decide it's best not to transport, Scotland abounds in outdoor gear shops, in all locations including many outside the city. Here are a few in the Glasgow airport vicinity which carry solid fuel (best to check in advance, of course, for compatibility).

Summits Outdoor is nearby, in Paisley, at 36 Moss St, Phone:+44 141 889 3360
Cotswold Outdoor, not too far away, in the West End Retail Park, 60 Crow Road, Partick
The Glasgow Scout Shop, 21 Elmbank Street, City Centre, Glasgow G2 4PB

Giorgio 35301

Upvote:0

As the other answers have pointed out, it is illegal to bring it on board. I will answer the part what would happen if you brought it with you.

Obviously, I would never even dare to think about bringing something I know to be illegal on board. So I have this from a good friend who has a habit of taking Esbit tablets with him in the plane.

After taking Esbit tablets on a plane dozens of times (now probably in triple digits), most of them in hand luggage (usually within Europe) and in a minority of cases in hold luggage (usually from Europe to/from another continent) it only has been detected twice. In hand luggage we are talking about 1-3 packs, while in hold it can be up to 6-7 packs.

What happened in the two cases that it has been detected? The first time was in Manchester a few years ago. The packs of tablets were stored in the cooking pot. Security took a look at the packs, saw the inflammable logo on the pack and took it out saying that you can't bring inflammable goods on a plane. Since that encounter the Esbit packs were always stored in a side pocket well away from cooking gear to make it less obvious that it is part of the cooking gear.

The second time was last October in Brussels. At that time security went straight for the Esbit packs and took a closer look. It was clear that the scanner had identified them as a suspect part of the luggage that needed closer inspection. After studying the packs for a few minutes he put them back in and surprisingly allowed the Esbit packs through, but I wouldn't count on being that lucky.

So to answer your questions 2 and 3: they will usually not be detected (I know nothing about Düsseldorf, but in Glasgow they stayed undetected) especially if you store them away from your cooking stuff to make the link less obvious. When detected and considered unacceptable they will just be taken away from you without much fuzz.

Some wandering yeti 8475

Upvote:2

Esbit tablets are made of hexamine, which is an ingredient used in the manufacture of the explosive HMTD. HMTD, like its cousin acetone peroxide, is often used in improvised explosives by terrorist groups. It's also easy to detect even in small quantities by the chemical sniffers used at airport security screening. Best not to try bringing it on board.

pericynthion 736

Upvote:3

In the US it is specifically forbidden by law. EU air travel regulations forbid it under 'inflammable items. Air safety/security
& 3. In the US if you knowingly do so you will be fined heavily. The above linked page does not have information on what they will do if they catch you.

Normally when I intend to cook with esbit on a trip that includes air travel, I plan on finding it locally after arriving. If it is questionable to find in a specific location, I look at other fuel options or go with no-cook meals.