Ryanair is once again reminding passengers to think carefully about what they pack in both cabin and checked luggage, with a renewed focus on the risks posed by cigarette lighters and lighter fuel in suitcases. As European airports move into a busy 2026 travel season, the low cost carrier is highlighting that certain types of lighters and all lighter refills are strictly banned from checked baggage and, in some cases, from flights altogether. The message is clear: a small everyday object can create a serious safety hazard at 35,000 feet, and ignoring the rules can lead to confiscation, delays, or worse.
Why Ryanair Is Warning Passengers About Lighters
Ryanair’s latest warnings flow from long standing aviation safety rules that treat lighters and lighter fuel as dangerous goods when they are not handled correctly. While a single small lighter on a passenger’s person is usually tolerated under international regulations, the same object becomes a much greater risk when packed in the hold, where a fire can go undetected until it is too late. The airline is echoing guidance from regulators that the safest place for a permitted lighter is in the cabin, where crew can act quickly if something goes wrong.
The airline’s help centre explains that lighters and firelighters with a flammable liquid reservoir containing unabsorbed liquid fuel, lighter fuel and lighter refills are forbidden entirely, whether in cabin bags or hold luggage. This is because they contain free liquid fuel that can leak, vaporise and ignite. Ryanair’s warning is not about inconveniencing smokers, but about preventing a potentially catastrophic fire in a cargo hold packed with baggage and insulated from immediate firefighting access.
Recent reminders from European aviation authorities and travel industry outlets have underlined how frequently passengers misunderstand lighter rules. Many assume that if airport shops sell lighters, they must be acceptable everywhere and in any quantity. Ryanair’s messaging aims to close that gap in understanding, emphasising that what is sold airside is not automatically safe to pack into a suitcase, and that one misplaced lighter can jeopardise the safety of an entire aircraft.
What Ryanair’s Rules Actually Say About Lighters
Ryanair’s dangerous goods guidance splits items into three key categories: what is banned entirely, what is banned from checked baggage but allowed in the cabin, and what is permitted subject to strict conditions. Lighters fall into more than one category, depending on their design and fuel type. According to the airline’s published list of prohibited items, lighters and firelighters with a flammable liquid reservoir containing unabsorbed liquid fuel, lighter fuel and lighter refills are not allowed either in cabin baggage or in the hold. These devices are treated as flammable liquids and incendiary devices, in the same broad group as fireworks, smoke cartridges and strike anywhere matches.
Alongside this blanket ban on fuel and refills, Ryanair follows international norms that allow passengers to carry a single small cigarette lighter on their person for personal use. The device must not contain a reservoir of unabsorbed liquid fuel, and must essentially be a standard disposable or similar lighter that relies on absorbed fuel or liquefied gas. The lighter must be kept on the passenger, not placed into a pocket of a cabin bag, and certainly not tucked into a checked suitcase. The airline’s internal dangerous goods guide also notes that torch lighters, cigar lighters and lighters powered by lithium batteries without proper protection are forbidden outright.
This split can appear confusing at first glance, but Ryanair’s position is consistent: a standard, single lighter kept under a passenger’s direct control is tolerated, while anything more powerful, refillable in a free liquid form, or stored away from the cabin environment is considered an unacceptable risk. The renewed warnings are a response to repeated cases where passengers either forgot a lighter in a jacket stuffed into their checked case or deliberately packed spare lighters and fuel in their hold baggage, unaware of the implications.
Why Lighters in Checked Baggage Are So Dangerous
The danger posed by lighters in checked luggage is not theoretical. Modern aircraft cargo holds are designed with fire detection and suppression systems, but these systems are calibrated around predictable risks, such as smouldering materials or faulty batteries, not an accumulation of fuel laden devices. A lighter that leaks or is accidentally activated inside a suitcase can ignite clothing, plastics or other flammable materials, feeding a fire in an area of the aircraft that is hard to access once airborne.
In the cabin, cabin crew are trained to spot smoke or flames quickly, and passengers themselves can raise the alarm if they smell burning. A small incident involving a lighter can usually be contained with onboard fire extinguishers and quick action. In the hold, by contrast, a blaze can build out of sight. While suppression systems can slow or smother a fire, they are not infallible, and a fast growing fire can challenge even sophisticated safety technologies. This is why aviation authorities treat any unnecessary ignition source in the hold as a serious concern, and why Ryanair is placing renewed emphasis on this point.
Another problem is the cumulative effect of many passengers ignoring the rules. One lighter in a suitcase is a risk, but dozens of suitcases each carrying one or more lighters, plus lighter fuel or refills, magnify the potential hazard significantly. Ryanair’s mass market model means its aircraft routinely fly at or near full capacity, with high baggage loads. The airline is therefore especially sensitive to compliance with dangerous goods restrictions and is working to remind passengers that small items can have large consequences when multiplied across an entire flight.
How Current Aviation Rules Shape Ryanair’s Policy
Ryanair’s guidance is grounded in broader international regulations established by bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association. These rules classify lighters, matches, flammable liquids and aerosols within detailed tables of dangerous goods, specifying what can be carried on board, what must be in cabin baggage only, and what cannot be transported by air at all. European Union security rules and national aviation authorities then add further layers of restriction which airlines must enforce.
Under these frameworks, passengers are typically allowed one small packet of safety matches or one small lighter carried on their person, but they are forbidden from putting either into checked baggage. Refillable lighters with unabsorbed liquid fuel, torch lighters and strike anywhere matches are usually banned in both cabin and hold, due to their ignition strength and unpredictability. Lighter fuel and refills are categorised alongside other flammable liquids and cannot travel on passenger aircraft in luggage.
Ryanair, like other carriers, bears the legal responsibility to screen and refuse dangerous goods, even when passengers attempt to pack them inadvertently. Ground staff and baggage handlers are trained not only to spot obvious hazards such as fuel canisters and fireworks, but also to be alert to more everyday items including certain lighters, power banks and smart bags with hidden batteries. The airline’s updated messaging around lighters is part of a broader push to align passenger behaviour with this regulatory framework before bags ever reach the security scanner or the check in desk.
What Passengers Can and Cannot Pack: Practical Guidance
For travellers preparing to fly with Ryanair in 2026, the key is to make a clear distinction between what can be carried on the person, what can go in cabin baggage and what must never be packed at all. When it comes to lighters, passengers are generally permitted to carry one small, standard cigarette lighter on their person. It should be placed in a pocket or a clear resealable bag and produced separately if airport security staff request it. The lighter should not be placed in a checked suitcase, nor scattered among toiletries or electronics in a cabin bag.
Passengers should not attempt to travel with multiple lighters as backups, nor should they pack novelty, torch or cigar lighters, which are often more powerful and can fall into prohibited categories. Any kind of lighter fuel, refill canister or separate fuel reservoir is banned and should be left at home. Strike anywhere matches are also forbidden, while a single small pack of safety matches may be tolerated on a person, depending on the airport and local rules. Because security practices can vary between countries and airports, Ryanair advises passengers to check both the airline’s help pages and the departure airport’s security guidance ahead of time.
It is also important to inspect coats, bags and suitcases for forgotten lighters before heading to the airport. Many confiscations occur when a lighter is left in an inside pocket of a jacket that is then checked in, or buried at the bottom of a backpack that ends up in the hold. Taking a few minutes at home or in the hotel to empty pockets and confirm the location of any lighter can save time at security and reduce the chance of an awkward discussion with staff or the loss of a valued item.
Enforcement at Airports and What Happens if You Get It Wrong
At the airport, enforcement of lighter rules is carried out at several stages. Security officers at the screening point are the most visible, using x ray machines and manual checks to identify prohibited items in cabin bags. However, checked baggage also passes through screening systems behind the scenes, and any suspicious object, including a lighter or lighter fuel, can trigger secondary inspection. In such cases, baggage handlers or security staff may open a suitcase in the passenger’s absence and remove the offending item, sometimes leaving a notice inside to explain the removal.
If a lighter is discovered in a cabin bag at security, passengers are usually offered a straightforward choice: surrender the item or, if time allows, go back landside and make alternative arrangements such as placing it in a landside locker or giving it to someone who is not travelling. When the item is banned entirely, such as lighter fuel or a torch lighter, confiscation is typically the only option. Depending on the airport’s policies and the number or type of items found, more serious enforcement measures, including fines, can follow, especially if officers believe the rules were deliberately ignored.
For checked baggage, the process can be more opaque. Passengers may only discover that a lighter or fuel was removed when they open their suitcase at their destination and find an inspection notice. In some cases, screened bags that raise concern can be delayed or held back entirely, causing missed connections or additional checks at arrival. Ryanair stresses that it cannot be responsible for replacing prohibited items confiscated by security or for costs arising from delays caused by non compliance with dangerous goods rules.
Staying Safe and Avoiding Disruption on Your Next Ryanair Flight
Ryanair’s renewed warnings on lighters are part of a broader safety culture that relies on passengers as active partners. While strict rules and screening equipment are essential, the first and most effective layer of protection is informed packing at home. For travellers, the easiest way to cooperate is to start with a simple checklist: identify any sources of ignition, such as lighters and matches, any flammable liquids, and any items powered by batteries, then compare them with the airline’s published guidance before deciding whether they belong in hand baggage, on the person or not on the flight at all.
Being conservative in borderline cases is wise. If there is any doubt about whether a particular lighter, refill or fuel canister is allowed, the safest answer is not to bring it. Items bought on holiday, such as ornate souvenir lighters or camping gear, may look harmless but often fall into categories that regulators treat as dangerous. Travellers should resist the temptation to hide such items deep in checked luggage in the hope that they will go unnoticed; the potential safety stakes are too high, and modern screening makes concealment unlikely.
For those who rely on a lighter, whether for smoking or for other personal reasons, planning ahead is simple: travel with a single, standard lighter on your person, not in your baggage, and be prepared to show it if asked at security. Once at your destination, replace any specialised lighters or refills locally, rather than trying to carry them through multiple airports. By following Ryanair’s advice and the wider aviation rules, passengers can help keep flights safe and avoid unnecessary disruption, ensuring that a minor item like a lighter never becomes the cause of a major incident.