United Arab Emirates
Low cost airline, Sharjah hub Air Arabia baggage allowance
Air Arabia is a Sharjah-based low-cost carrier serving the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Cabin baggage
What you keep with you on board. The carry-on bag goes in the overhead bin, the personal item goes under the seat in front of you.
Carry-on bag
- Size
- 55 x 40 x 20 cm
- Weight
- 7 kg
- Pieces
- One bag
One cabin bag allowed. Total cabin allowance including personal item is 10 kg.
Personal item
- Size
- 25 x 33 x 20 cm
- Weight
- 3 kg
- Examples
- Laptop bag, handbag or similar small item. Combined with carry-on must not exceed 10 kg.
Liquids: containers of 100 ml or less, all inside one transparent resealable 1 litre bag. Baby food, medication and sealed duty free purchases are exempt.
Power banks and batteries
Lithium batteries travel in the cabin, never in the hold. Since 2025 most carriers also ban using or charging a power bank during the flight.
| Item | Cabin | Checked | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power bank up to 100 WhAbout 27,000 mAh at 3.7 V | Allowed | Not allowed | One per passenger, under the seat, not in the overhead bin. Do not use or charge it on board. |
| Power bank 100 to 160 Wh | Approval needed | Not allowed | Maximum two, with airline approval before the flight. |
| Power bank over 160 Wh | Not allowed | Not allowed | Cannot travel on Air Arabia in any form. |
| Spare laptop and camera batteries | Allowed | Not allowed | Terminals taped or in original packaging, up to 100 Wh each. |
| Devices with built-in batteriesLaptops, phones, cameras, tablets | Allowed | Switched off | Better in the cabin. If checked, fully switched off and protected from accidental activation. |
| E-cigarettes and vapes | Allowed | Not allowed | Cabin only, never used on board. |
Checked baggage
Air Arabia sells hold baggage by weight, in blocks of 20, 30 or 40 kg, and the ticket alone carries none. The 20 kg block must go as a single bag; 30 and 40 kg can be split across two. No bag may pass 32 kg or 158 cm whichever block you bought.
| Cabin | First bag | Second bag | Max weight per bag | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (No Baggage) | From AED 40 (~$11) for 20 kg add-on | Purchase required | Not included | 160 cm |
| Value (20 kg) | Included | Included | 20 kg total | 160 cm |
| Value Plus (30 kg) | Included | Included | 30 kg total | 160 cm |
Basic (No Baggage): No checked baggage included. Purchase 20/30/40 kg options online at discounted rates.
Value (20 kg): 20 kg total allowance. Additional weight can be purchased online.
Value Plus (30 kg): 30 kg total allowance. Max 32 kg per single bag. Allowances change by route, fare family and booking date, so confirm on the official Air Arabia baggage page before you pack.
Checked weight by option
Air Arabia sells hold baggage as a block of weight rather than a number of bags. The 20 kg block has to travel as one bag; from 30 kg upward you may split it in two.
| No baggage | Cabin only | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 kg option | 20 kg, one bag | |
| 30 kg option | 30 kg, up to two bags | |
| 40 kg option | 40 kg, up to two bags | |
Whichever block you buy, no single bag may weigh more than 32 kg or measure more than 158 cm in total. Which options are on sale, and what they cost, changes by route, and the airport sells fewer of them at higher prices than the website.
Excess baggage fees
What sits outside the block of weight you bought.
| Situation | What you pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buying baggage online in advance | Best price | Also by call centre or sales office |
| Buying baggage at the airport | Higher price | And only some of the weight options are on sale there |
| Cabin bag over the limit at the gate | AED 100 per piece | Repacking at the desk avoids it |
| Single bag over 32 kg or 158 cm | Not accepted | The block you bought does not change this |
Cabin baggage is capped at 10 kg across everything you carry on: the 7 kg bag, the 3 kg personal item and anything bought at duty free. The duty-free bag counts, which is where people go over.
Before you pack
Six habits that keep you out of the excess baggage queue.
- Weigh bags at homeA luggage scale costs less than a single overweight bag fee, and it settles the argument at home rather than at the counter.
- Prepay extra weight onlineBuying through airarabia.com is 10 to 20 percent cheaper than paying at the counter.
- Wear the heavy itemsBoots, coats and jackets on your body do not count toward any limit.
- Use compression bagsVacuum bags cut clothing volume by up to 75 percent, which helps with the 160 cm size rule.
- Check your credit card perksSome premium cards include extra baggage or refund fees on selected airlines.
- Check your loyalty statusFrequent flyer tiers often add extra weight or an extra bag on top of the fare allowance.
Sports equipment, instruments and infants
Special items travel with conditions. Every one of them needs advance reservation, and acceptance at the airport is not guaranteed without it.
| Item | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Sports equipment | Golf, bicycles, ski equipment, surfboards accepted as checked baggage |
| Musical instruments | Cabin if within carry-on size limits; otherwise must be checked |
| Televisions | a screen of 40 inches or larger costs AED 150 plus a handling fee, and 60 inches is the ceiling |
| Carton boxes | not accepted as checked baggage on flights to Bangladesh since 1 August 2023 |
| Infant baggage | one extra bag of up to 3 kg for a child under 2, stowed under the seat |
Book special items online before travel. Airport prices are higher than the same allowance bought online, and hold space is first come, first served.
Check-in and bag drop deadlines
Counted back from scheduled departure. Miss the bag drop cut-off and the bag does not fly, even if you do.
Air Arabia sets its check-in and bag drop deadlines by airport rather than publishing one timeline. Check the times on your booking, and allow longer if you have bags to drop.
If your bag does not arrive
Delayed and damaged bags follow a strict clock. Most claims fail because the report was made after leaving the airport.
Report before you leave the hall
Go to the Air Arabia baggage services desk in the arrivals baggage hall. You get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a 10 character reference. Without it there is no claim.
Track with the PIR reference
Use the reference and your surname on the Air Arabia baggage tracing page. Most delayed bags arrive within 48 hours and are delivered to your address free of charge.
Keep receipts, mind the deadlines
Essentials bought while the bag is missing can be claimed. Damage must be reported within 7 days, delayed bag expenses within 21 days of delivery, under the Montreal Convention.
How Air Arabia compares
Benchmark these limits against the rest of the industry before you decide which bag to bring.
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