You’ve booked London to Delhi, the suitcase is already half full of presents for the family, and now you need to know what Air India will let you take before you reach the check-in desk. The Air India baggage allowance depends almost entirely on which fare you clicked, and the gap between Value and Classic is a whole second suitcase.
It isn’t only about kilos, either. India runs its own security rule on hand luggage and its own customs limits when you land, and both trip up people who’ve done this flight plenty of times.
Air India quotes its fees in US dollars, so I’ve converted them into pounds and euros as well. One less sum to do at the desk.
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Air India Luggage Allowance: Quick Facts
Air India baggage allowance at a glance
The Air India baggage allowance on UK routes runs on the piece system. You get a set number of bags, each with its own weight cap, instead of one big kilo total. Every cabin and fare is in the table below.
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| Cabin and fare | Cabin bag | Personal item | Checked bags UK to India | Max per bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Value | 7kg, 55 x 40 x 20cm | 3kg, 40 x 30 x 20cm | 1 x 23kg | 23kg (up to 32kg with a heavy bag fee) |
| Economy Classic | 7kg | 3kg | 2 x 23kg | 23kg (up to 32kg with a fee) |
| Economy Flex | 7kg | 3kg | 2 x 23kg | 23kg (up to 32kg with a fee) |
| Premium Economy (Value and Flex) | 7kg | 3kg | 2 x 23kg | 23kg (up to 32kg with a fee) |
| Business (Value and Flex) | 10kg | 3kg | 2 x 32kg | 32kg |
| First | 10kg | 3kg | 2 x 32kg | 32kg |
| Infant on your lap | Up to 5kg of baby items | Included in the 5kg | 1 bag: 10kg (Economy), 12kg (Premium Economy), 15kg (Business or First) | As listed |
Notice how little the cabin bag changes. Everyone from the cheapest Economy seat up to Premium Economy gets the same 7kg, and Value is the only fare with a single checked bag. Pick Classic or above and you get two.
Air India cabin bag size and the 7kg limit
The Air India cabin bag size limit is 55 x 40 x 20cm, and that includes wheels, handles and pockets. Add the three measurements together and you can’t go over 115cm. The size is the same in every cabin. Weight is where it changes: the Air India hand luggage weight limit is 7kg in Economy and Premium Economy, and 10kg in Business and First.
Seven kilos disappears fast. Plenty of hardshell wheelie cases weigh 2 to 3kg empty, so you’ve lost a big chunk of the Air India 7kg cabin bag before you’ve packed a thing. I’d take a soft holdall or a light backpack every time on this route. Less pretty, far more space.
Still over? Air India will let you take a cabin bag up to 12kg, but only after you pay an excess hand baggage charge. On international flights that’s USD 75 (about £55 / €65 / $75). Above 12kg the bag has to go in the hold, with the normal excess charges on top.
Before you leave the house:
- Weigh the cabin bag once it’s fully packed
- Measure it with the wheels and handle included
- Move dense stuff (chargers, books, the bottle of whisky for your uncle) into the hold
- Wear your heaviest shoes and jacket on the plane
Our genius packing tips have a few more ways to squeeze a week into a small bag.
Personal items and India's one-bag rule
On top of the cabin bag you get one personal item that fits under the seat in front. Air India caps it at 3kg and 40 x 30 x 20cm, and it can be one of these:
- A handbag, purse or small waist pouch
- A laptop in a bag
- A camera, camera bag or binoculars
- A coat, wrap or blanket
- A folding umbrella
- Medicines you need on board, like an inhaler
- Some reading material, or a small amount of duty-free where it’s allowed
One of them. Not three.
This is the rule that catches people. India’s aviation security body, BCAS, has a one hand baggage rule, and Air India applies it in every cabin on domestic and international flights. Maharaja Club or Star Alliance status makes no difference. So you get one cabin bag plus one personal item, not a cabin bag, a rucksack and a bulging duty-free carrier.
Size counts too. If your personal item adds up to more than 90cm (length plus width plus height), Air India treats it as a cabin bag. Now you’ve got two cabin bags, and one of them has to be checked in. On a trip with more than one airline, or a codeshare flight, the strictest cabin rules on the journey are the ones that apply.
Checked bags from the UK: Value vs Classic vs Flex
The Air India baggage allowance UK to India splits hard by fare once you get to the hold:
- Economy Value: 1 bag up to 23kg
- Economy Classic: 2 bags up to 23kg each
- Economy Flex: 2 bags up to 23kg each
- Premium Economy (Value or Flex): 2 bags up to 23kg each
- Business (Value or Flex) and First: 2 bags up to 32kg each
Each checked bag can be up to 158cm when you add length, width and height together. Go over that and you pay an oversize fee. Over 200cm and Air India won’t take it as checked baggage at all (special items like sports kit get up to 300cm). And no single bag can weigh more than 32kg anywhere on the Air India network. Anything heavier goes as cargo.
Is the Air India Value fare baggage allowance enough? Only if one bag really does the job. If you’re flying out for a wedding with outfits and gifts for half the family, price up Classic before you book. An extra bag at the airport costs USD 250 from the UK, and even prepaid it’s around USD 200, so put that next to the fare difference before you click Value.
Two smaller points. The weight limit is per bag, so on Classic you can’t take one 30kg bag and one 16kg bag and call it 46kg. And the allowance is the same whichever UK airport you use, so your Air India London to Delhi baggage rules match a flight from Birmingham or Gatwick.
Air India excess baggage charges, and when prepaying pays off
On UK routes, Air India excess baggage charges are a flat fee per bag, not per kilo. These are the airport prices.
Prices are a guide and vary by route, date and demand.
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| Charge | UK to India | India to UK | Can you prepay? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra bag (up to 23kg) | USD 250 (about £185 / €215 / $250) | USD 240 (about £180 / €205 / $240) | Yes, up to 2 hours before departure |
| Heavy bag (23 to 32kg) | USD 100 (about £75 / €85 / $100) | USD 100 (about £75 / €85 / $100) | Yes, extra weight up to 32kg until 6 hours before |
| Oversize bag (over 158cm) | USD 125 (about £95 / €105 / $125) | USD 125 (about £95 / €105 / $125) | Not listed as a prepaid option |
| Cabin bag 7 to 12kg | USD 75 (about £55 / €65 / $75) | USD 75 (about £55 / €65 / $75) | Not listed as a prepaid option |
| Bag over 32kg | Not accepted | Not accepted | No, it has to go as cargo |
All of these are plus any applicable taxes, and each direction is paid separately. Extra bag both ways on a return? You pay twice.
Prepaying through Manage Booking (or by phone, or at an Air India office) saves up to 20%. On a USD 250 bag that's roughly the difference between £185 and £150, though the timings are a bit fiddly:
- Extra bags or extra total weight can be bought up to 2 hours before departure
- Extra weight on a single bag, up to 32kg, can be bought until 6 hours before
- It only works on Air India tickets starting with 098, not interline or codeshare tickets
- On multi-city trips it only covers you if your bags are checked through to the end
Refunds are limited. You get the money back if Air India cancels the flight, or if you cancel 48 hours or more before departure within your fare rules. Nothing back for a no-show, and nothing back if your bag weighs less than you paid for. So don't panic-buy 32kg "just in case".
Connecting to a domestic flight in India
Plenty of people don’t stop at Delhi or Mumbai. If you’re carrying on to Goa or Kerala, how your bags work depends on how you booked.
Same ticket, all Air India: the international allowance applies to the whole journey. Your two 23kg bags from London carry on to the domestic hop, even though Air India’s domestic fares on their own are a lot stingier.
Separate tickets: Air India says you can still use your free baggage allowance if the connection is within 24 hours and both flights are operated by Air India. Outside that, the domestic flight has its own allowance (15kg on a domestic Economy Value fare), and excess on domestic routes is INR 800 per kg (about £6.25 / €7.20 / $8.40 per kg) plus taxes. That adds up quickly with a wedding-sized suitcase.
Another airline: IndiGo is the big one for domestic hops, and it has its own cabin bag shape and weight rules. Air India Express is also a separate airline with separate rules, so don’t assume anything in this guide carries over.
When you land, you'll want data before you're hunting for your connecting gate or a taxi. I'd set up an Airalo eSIM for India before leaving the UK so it's working the second you switch off flight mode. And if you're stopping in Delhi with two full cases and a cabin bag, a pre-booked airport transfer from Delhi airport beats wrestling it all to the taxi rank.
Liquids, duty-free and power banks
Liquids
In the cabin, liquids, gels and aerosols go in containers of 100ml or less, all in one clear resealable 1-litre bag. Bigger containers get binned even if they’re half empty. Prescription medicines and baby food are the exceptions, though they still get screened.
Some UK airports have newer scanners and different liquids rules at security, so check with your departure airport. Then pack to the 100ml rule anyway, because that’s what you’ll face flying home from India.
Duty-free alcohol
Duty-free alcohol can only come in the cabin if you bought it airside, and it has to be in a sealed see-through bag. The catch for anyone connecting in Delhi or Mumbai: Air India says it may not be allowed in the cabin when you transfer from an international to a domestic flight. Move it into your checked bag before you go back through security in India.
In checked bags you can take up to 5 litres of alcohol per person, in its original retail packaging, between 24% and 70% ABV.
Power banks
The Air India power bank rules are stricter than most UK travellers are used to:
- Power banks count as spare batteries, so they go in cabin baggage only, never checked
- Each one can be up to 100Wh
- Two spare batteries per person at most, each packed so the terminals can’t short
- Not in the overhead locker. Keep it in the seat pocket, under the seat in front or on you
India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, has also banned using power banks on board. That means no charging your phone from one, and no charging the power bank itself from the seat socket. Charge everything at the gate. If your battery only lists mAh, our guide to power banks on planes shows how to work out the Wh figure.
What you can't pack for India
Most of this is common sense. The food rules are the ones that surprise people, because Air India is more specific than most airlines about what goes where.
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| Item | Cabin bag | Checked bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquids over 100ml | No | Yes | Cabin liquids go in 100ml containers inside one clear 1-litre bag |
| Duty-free alcohol | Yes, if bought airside and sealed | Yes | May not be allowed in the cabin on an international to domestic transfer in India |
| Power bank | Yes | No | 100Wh max, two spare batteries max, not in overhead lockers, no use on board |
| Spare lithium batteries | Yes | No | Pack each one individually to stop short circuits |
| E-cigarette or vape | No | No | Banned on Air India and illegal to import into India |
| Lighter | No | No | Air India lists lighters as prohibited in both |
| Dry coconut (copra) | No | No | Banned in both. A whole coconut can go in the hold |
| Kirpan | Domestic flights only | Check with Air India | Blade up to 15.24cm (6in), total up to 22.86cm (9in). Not allowed on international flights or the domestic leg of one |
| Hoverboard | No | No | Lithium-powered self-balancing devices are banned outright |
| Prescription medicines | Yes | Yes | Over 100ml is fine in the cabin if you need it for the journey. Carry the prescription |
| Powdered spices (including chilli) | No | Yes | Hold only |
| Ghee or cooking oil | Yes, within the 100ml rule | Yes, up to 5kg or 5 litres | Per passenger |
| Pickle | Yes, but not chilli pickle | Yes | Chilli pickle goes in the hold only |
A couple more to leave at home:
- Satellite phones and satellite GPS devices, unless you've got permission from the Indian authorities. Air India warns that passengers carrying one without authorisation won't be allowed to travel
- Cannabis in any form, even if it was legal where you bought it. Indian narcotics law carries prison sentences of up to 20 years
Indian customs: what you can bring in duty-free
India’s new Baggage Rules raised the India duty-free allowance for most travellers. It sits on top of your used personal effects (clothes, toiletries, the things you’d normally travel with), which are always duty-free.
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| Who you are | Duty-free allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indian resident | ₹75,000 (about £585 / €675 / $790) | Arriving by air or sea |
| Tourist of Indian origin (NRI or OCI cardholder) | ₹75,000 (about £585 / €675 / $790) | Includes OCI cardholders visiting family |
| Foreigner on a non-tourist visa | ₹75,000 (about £585 / €675 / $790) | For stays of more than six months |
| Foreign tourist | ₹25,000 (about £195 / €225 / $265) | Visiting on a tourist visa or e-visa |
| New laptop | One, duty-free | Passengers aged 18 or over, on top of the general allowance |
| Jewellery | 40g (women) or 20g (other passengers) | Residents and tourists of Indian origin who’ve lived abroad for more than a year. Gold bars and coins don’t count |
Worth knowing before you land:
- Infants don’t get the general allowance, and two people can’t pool theirs to bring in one expensive item
- Over 2 litres of alcohol, over 100 cigarettes (or 25 cigars, or 125g of tobacco), TVs and gold or silver that isn’t jewellery all fall outside the free allowance
- E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import into India
- Carrying anything dutiable or restricted? Use the Red Channel. You can also declare online up to three days before landing through ICEGATE or the Atithi app
- Declare foreign cash if the notes come to more than US$5,000 (about £3,700 / €4,300), or your total foreign exchange tops US$10,000 (about £7,450 / €8,600)
Coming back to the UK
The return leg has its own rules. Arriving in Great Britain from India, your personal allowance is:
- 42 litres of beer or cider, plus 18 litres of wine
- 4 litres of spirits, or 9 litres of drinks up to 22% like port (you can split this one)
- 200 cigarettes (or 50 cigars, or 250g of tobacco)
- Other goods worth up to £390 (about €450 / $525)
Then the one that catches lots of families out. Meat and milk-based products from outside the EU aren’t allowed into Great Britain, and that includes ghee and paneer. Sweets made with a lot of fresh dairy can fall foul of it too. The only exceptions are powdered infant milk, infant food and food needed for medical reasons, up to 2kg per person.
Flying with babies, kids and Maharaja Club status
Children with their own seat get the same cabin allowance as adults. Babies on your lap (under two, no seat) get up to 5kg of baby things in the cabin, which covers food for the flight, bottles and a tote to carry it all.
In the hold, infants on UK routes get one bag of up to 10kg in Economy, 12kg in Premium Economy and 15kg in Business or First. Air India also lists a collapsible stroller, carrycot or infant car seat for infants, so mention it when you book. One annoying detail: you can't buy prepaid excess baggage for an infant.
Maharaja Club status helps, but only near the top:
- Gold and Platinum (both Star Gold): one extra piece up to 23kg on piece-concept routes like the UK
- Silver: nothing extra on UK routes (it's 5kg on weight-concept routes, on Air India-operated flights)
- Red: nothing extra
The bonus doesn't apply on partner or codeshare flights. And status won't get you round India's one hand bag rule, whatever tier you're on.
Air India vs British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from the UK
Still choosing an airline? Here's how Air India stacks up against BA and Virgin Atlantic on bags. The BA and Virgin details come from our own guides, so check your booking for the final word.
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| Airline | Cabin bag | Cheapest economy fare | Next fare up | Heavy bag (23 to 32kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air India | 7kg, 55 x 40 x 20cm, plus a 3kg personal item | Value: 1 x 23kg | Classic: 2 x 23kg | USD 100 (about £75 / €85 / $100) |
| British Airways | 56 x 45 x 25cm plus a personal item, each up to 23kg | Basic: no checked bag | Other economy fares: at least 1 x 23kg | £65 (€75 / $100) |
| Virgin Atlantic | 10kg, 56 x 36 x 23cm, plus a personal item | Economy Light: no checked bag | Classic and Delight: 2 x 23kg on UK to India routes | Around £65 (€77 / $100) |
Air India has the tightest cabin bag of the three by a distance. Where it wins is the bottom fare: Value still includes a 23kg bag, while BA Basic and Virgin's Economy Light give you nothing in the hold. If you want two bags without going premium, Virgin's Classic fare is worth pricing up on India routes. Full details are in our Virgin Atlantic baggage guide, and if a stop in Dubai doesn't bother you, our Emirates baggage guide is worth a read too.
Lost, delayed or damaged bags
Bag didn't come round the carousel? Don't leave the arrivals hall. Report it to Air India staff there and they'll raise a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Keep your copy.
From 24 hours after the PIR is issued, you can download a free Mishandled Baggage Statement on Air India's website using your PIR number, as long as the PIR is less than 60 days old. Your insurer will want it. Lost or damaged bags go through Air India's customer support, and the Track Your Bags tool on its website is worth bookmarking while you wait.
Under the Montreal Convention, which covers international flights, you generally have 7 days to complain in writing about damage, and 21 days from when a delayed bag turns up.
Before you leave the airport:
- Photograph any damage while you're still at the desk
- Keep your bag tag and boarding pass together
- Save receipts for anything you have to buy
- Write the PIR number down somewhere that isn't your phone
This is where travel insurance that covers delayed bags earns its money, because a toothbrush and a change of clothes bought at an airport cost silly money. And if your flight left the UK late, UK261 rules can cover Air India flights departing the UK (not flights from India back to the UK), so check if you can claim flight compensation for a delay.
Need cheering up while you wait? Our round-up of the weirdest items found in lost luggage makes a missing suitcase feel quite tame.
Gear we actually travel with
Passport holders, packing cubes, travel wallets. Stuff that earns its place in the bag.
Browse the shopSources Checked
- Air India: Cabin baggage, cabin bag size and weight, personal items, the one hand baggage rule and kirpan rules
- Air India: Checked baggage for Europe, the UK and Israel, UK to India allowances by fare, infant allowances and Maharaja Club bonuses
- Air India: Checked baggage, same-ticket and separate-ticket connection rules and domestic allowances
- Air India: Excess baggage charges, extra, heavy and oversize bag fees, prepaid rules and refunds
- Air India: Unsafe and restricted items, liquids, alcohol, power banks, food items and satellite phones
- Air India: Mishandled Baggage Statement, how delayed bags are reported and documented
- CBIC Baggage Rules FAQ (Bangalore Customs), India duty-free allowances, jewellery, laptops, declarations and currency limits
- GOV.UK: Bringing goods into Great Britain, alcohol, tobacco and other goods allowances on the way home
- GOV.UK: Bringing food into Great Britain, meat and dairy rules for arrivals from outside the EU
Final Thoughts
Your Air India baggage allowance mostly comes down to one word on your booking: Value or Classic. Check which one you’ve got and weigh both bags at home before you set off. If you need more space, prepay it in Manage Booking rather than at the desk, where it costs the most.
Then put the power bank in your personal item and the pickle in the hold. Have a brilliant trip.
FAQs
How big can my Air India cabin bag be?
Up to 55 x 40 x 20cm, or 115cm in total, with wheels and handles counted in. The size is the same in every cabin. The weight limit is 7kg in Economy and Premium Economy and 10kg in Business and First.
Does Air India weigh cabin bags?
Expect it to. Air India charges an excess hand baggage fee if your cabin bag is over the limit, which is USD 75 (about £55 / €65 / $75) on international flights to take up to 12kg. Anything over 12kg has to be checked in.
How many bags can I take on Air India from London to India?
That depends on your fare. Economy Value includes one 23kg checked bag, while Classic, Flex and Premium Economy include two. Business and First get two 32kg bags, and every fare comes with a cabin bag plus a small personal item.
How much does an extra bag cost on Air India from the UK?
At the airport it’s USD 250 (about £185 / €215 / $250) for an extra bag of up to 23kg from the UK to India, and USD 240 coming back, plus any applicable taxes. Buying it in advance through Manage Booking can knock up to 20% off.
Can I take a power bank on Air India?
Yes, in your cabin baggage only, up to 100Wh each and no more than two spare batteries in total. You can’t use it during the flight or charge it from the seat socket, and it shouldn’t go in the overhead locker.
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