Heathrow embargo update

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ljs

ljs

Well-Known Member
Carrying firearms ,
HEATHROW DOUBLE CHECK with your airline they haven’t got an arms embargo ….dont just ask if they carry sporting rifles the airline might but there carriers do not ,frustrating ….
A little update ,many of the baggage handlers at Heathrow have been got at , whilst the airlines say they will carry firearms in there blurb and on a sales call when you speak to them on telephone calls , reality is it’s the baggage handlers preventing the transport , Lufthansa have now been hit at Heathrow and will not carry them as I have just discovered after I had confirmation from Germany H/Q prior to booking they would transport no problem , I then booked my tickets and when re confirming was advised of the arms embargo …. ( lufthansa still carry from Birmingham at the moment ) same goes for your in bound trophies pretty much it’s only air Mauritius now getting them into Gatwick ( info recently given to me from Martin Aries(quest freight) getting harder ……
 
Lufthansa, just received further info...

The transportation of firearms to and from London Heathrow (LHR), Aberdeen (ABZ), Edinburgh (EDI), Inverness (INV) and Glasgow (GLA) is forbidden. Please choose another airport in London or Great Britain if you want to take your licensed sporting or hunting firearms with you.
 
There was one particularly obstreperous Menzies employee who caused a flight I was on to Croatia to be delayed by an hour as he went off for a tea break - I suspect that it is him & his colleagues who are the root cause of this.
 
Heathrow has such a bad reputation that even airlines that normally accept firearms won’t carry from there.
Delaying an aircraft on stand while you wait for the last checked in passenger and their firearms to get to the departure gate is expensive and frankly not worth the hassle.
 
Whilst not directly in their remit, this is the sort of battle that our shooting organisations should really be taking up. There is still a goodly amount of inbound sport shooting with overseas visitors wishing to travel to the UK and spend their money here.

Indeed recent article in Sports Afield by Craig Boddington promoting deer stalking in the British Isles - one of best destinations worldwide

Deer of the British Isles | Sports Afield

sportsafield.com sportsafield.com
 
Croatia Airlines & Lufthansa stopped taking guns through Heathrow about 3 years ago & KLM stopped taking them through London City & most regional airports last year. KLM will still take a gun through Heathrow, but the lottery with the laziness of the handlers & Border Force inertia will still prevail.
 
Has anyone flown Virgin from LHR to JNB with firearms recently? I’m about to book for next autumn and this thread is making me nervous…
 
Several companies handle baggage at Heathrow, including **
Menzies Aviation**, Dnata ,Swissport, and Cobalt Ground Solutions, which operate as ground handling service providers for different airlines. Additionally, major airlines like British Airways have their own ground operations teams for baggage handling,I am not sure about Virgin,Emirates,Ethiopian,and Qatar, This is where the problem lies .If anyone is travelling with these airlines maybe its worth following up and sharing current info on SD .The last 8 years or so virgin have handled mine with no major issues before that good old SA airlines .Like I said in original post worth checking ,its not the airline its whom they use at the airport to handle the firearms process as Lufthansa will from Birmingham but not Heathrow and the sales teams do not know this when you book …
 
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It’s not the same but it really makes you think that a camp rifle,(or estate rifle at this end) is the way to go. Saves a lot of stress and most places seem to have decent firearms these days. Albeit I prefer my own.
 
wildfowler.250 said:
It’s not the same but it really makes you think that a camp rifle,(or estate rifle at this end) is the way to go. Saves a lot of stress and most places seem to have decent firearms these days. Albeit I prefer my own.
Click to expand...
But beware...they can be shonky or not the right size. There's a lot to be said for knowing your own rifle's foibles especially if DG involved! I wouldn't want to face an angry cow with anything i didn't 100% trust. But that's me. I'm a big wuss.
 
wildfowler.250 said:
It’s not the same but it really makes you think that a camp rifle,(or estate rifle at this end) is the way to go. Saves a lot of stress and most places seem to have decent firearms these days. Albeit I prefer my own.
Click to expand...
Working a RH bolt left handed is not ideal when following up a wounded buffalo in close cover at last light. Been there, done that. Promised myself I'd take my own rifle next time, and avoid first shot cock-ups!
 
Sadly , I think that it is still pot luck. If you get the lazy Menzies fool, don’t expect anything to happen in a hurry. On the flip side, a few years ago, having chatted to the chap who took my rifle through on the way out, he told me that he was on the shift for my return flight & I was on the M25 within 45 minutes from landing as he met me at the carousel with my rifle. First Class service but very fortunate.
 
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