Verdict: Steel skipping rope may not be carried in hand luggage
The vendor intended to fly from Berlin-Brandenburg Airport to Cologne/Bonn in May 2023 with a 2.74 meter long, PVC-wrapped slingshot. Such slingshots are used for fitness exercises. The security personnel noticed the slingshot, and the Federal Police prohibited the man from carrying it.
He flew without the item. Later, he complained because he also wanted to travel with the slingshot in his luggage in the future. However, the complaint was dismissed. The action of the Federal Police was justified, the court declared. The slingshot in question was a rigid object, the carrying of which in hand luggage was prohibited.
It is particularly strong and reduces the energy built up through swings by means of shock absorbers. Therefore, it can cause injuries more easily than, for example, cables or shoelaces, which the plaintiff mentioned as examples.
- Despite the vendor's plan to bring a steel skipping rope as hand luggage on his flight from Berlin Airport to Cologne/Bonn, it was also deemed prohibited due to its rigidity.
- Furthermore, during his subsequent trip, the administrative court in Berlin upheld the Federal Police's judgment, concluding that the weighty plastic steel skipping rope posed a potential risk.
- The vendor argued that he intended to use the skipping rope for fitness exercises during his layover at Berlin Airport, but the court found that it could potentially be used as a weapon.
- In response to the vendor's claim that cords or shoelaces pose less risk, the court countered that the steel skipping rope's rigidity and strength made it a unique concern for airport security.
- The court, however, acknowledged the vendor's ability to check-in the skipping rope as checked luggage for future flights, detailing the specific steps and requirements for doing so at the Berlin Airport check-in desks.
- Regardless, the prohibition of steel or plastic skipping ropes as hand luggage remains a standard practice in airports worldwide to maintain general safety and security during flights.
