Baggage allowances for sports equipment

All sporting equipment including golf equipment, bicycles and ski equipment
Emirates will accept sporting equipment as checked baggage and part of your standard baggage allowance. If you intend to take a bicycle as checked luggage, please contact us at least 24 hours in advance. Special packaging rules may apply.

Weight Concept

Individual items with total dimensions exceeding 300cm (118 inches) cannot be transported as checked baggage, and must be sent as cargo or freight. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Piece Concept 

The total dimensions (length + width + height) of the entire division of sporting equipment must not exceed 300cm (118 inches). Any sporting equipment with total dimensions exceeding 300cm (118 inches ) cannot be transported as checked baggage and must be sent as cargo or freight.

At any time, should your overall baggage weight or number of bags, including sports equipment, exceed the complimentary free baggage allowance, excess baggage rates will apply. Please visit Purchase additional baggage allowance for more information.

Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus – SCUBA

SCUBA equipment normally consists of diving suits, flippers, masks, snorkels, buoyancy control devices and so on. If air bottles are also carried, they must be emptied. 

Sporting weapons and ammunition

Firearms designed for sporting purposes, such as target pistols and rifles, air guns, safari rifles, hunting rifles etc, may be carried as checked baggage on Emirates flights under the following conditions:

  • The firearm must be completely unloaded and, if possible, dismantled and packed inside a suitcase or standard gun case.
  • The carriage of any type of firearms, ammunition and explosives, including items containing explosives, must be approved by Emirates no less than three days before your flight. Please complete the firearms form (only available in English) in the contact us section of our Help Centre to start the approval process. Please allow extra time for public holidays and weekends in your country of residence and the UAE.
  • Ammunition must be securely stored in a strong, sealed box packed inside a suitcase and surrounded by other contents. The suitcase must not bear an ‘Explosive’ label.
  • The maximum gross weight of the ammunition carried by any single customer is 5kg (11lb). Customers travelling in groups must carry ammunition in their own separate bags, with no single bag carrying more than the 5kg (11lb) limit.
  • All fireworks and any other items containing explosives, for example Christmas crackers, firecrackers, bottle rockets, poppers and sparklers are forbidden to be carried either as carry-on baggage or as checked baggage on our flights.

The following special conditions apply to customers wishing to carry firearms on flights into or through Dubai:

  • Customers who wish to bring firearms and ammunition into the UAE must obtain prior clearance from UAE Customs and the UAE Ministry of Defence. To obtain this clearance, customers must contact these government departments directly.
  • For transfer and transit customers who are connecting to onward flights, prior clearance to travel with firearms and ammunition must be obtained from the Dubai Airport Police Department and the Department of Civil Aviation.
Ski equipment

Ski equipment can be carried as part of your normal baggage allowance. However, in some situations additional charges may apply when checking in ski equipment – please contact your local Emirates office for more information.

A set of snow ski equipment may consist of:

  • one pair of skis, one pair of ski poles and one pair of ski boots, or
  • one snow board and one pair of boots

A set of water ski equipment may consist of:

  • one pair of standard water skis, or
  • one slalom water ski

Learn more about the rules for ski equipment when travelling to or from destinations in North, Central or South America.

Other sports equipment

Emirates will accept wind surf boards, kite surfing equipment, kayaks, body boards, pole vault or other sporting equipment as checked baggage and part of your standard baggage allowance, provided:

  • Any sails are detachable and collapsible.
  • It is appropriately packed in a hard-shell packing case. If not a Limited Release will be required.

For surf boards, the following precautions must be taken:

  • Fins should always be removed, or, if they cannot be removed, should be firmly packed with polystyrene foam.
  • Both nose and tail should have bubble-wrap or neoprene foam attached for protection.
  • The rails (sides of the board) should have cardboard down the sides to absorb shock.
  • The board should be packed in a properly padded surf-bag.

Should your overall baggage weight or amount exceed the normal free allowance, excess baggage rates will apply. Please contact your local Emirates office for information on excess baggage rates. For information on travelling with other sporting equipment, particularly sporting weaponry, please contact your local Emirates office, as other rules may apply.

Note: if your itinerary includes flights operated by other airlines, different baggage rules from the below may apply for these flights. For information on specific allowances for sports equipment, please contact us or the airline in question.