Cabin baggage allowance for flights to and from India

By understanding cabin bag size and weight restrictions, you can avoid fees at the airport.

Each airline has its own requirements and restrictions around cabin luggage. Knowing what you can take on the plane can impact plans heavily, especially if you’re planning to travel light and go without checked bags. Find out more about cabin luggage allowance and restrictions for Indian flights below.

Understanding cabin baggage restrictions

Why size matters when travelling

Airline cabin baggage restrictions can be confusing, especially when different airlines have different rules around what you can take on board. Understanding the cabin baggage allowance and dimension restrictions for your chosen airline means you can board with ease and avoid fees at the airport.

For most airlines flying from India (whether domestically or internationally), you can bring one personal item and one cabin bag. In this guide, we’ll look at the size restrictions for different airlines. Discover all you need to know to pack and fly with confidence.

Luggage being packed efficiently

Domestic airlines’ cabin luggage allowance

Airline by airline

Most airlines flying domestically within India allow a cabin bag and a personal item, although some don’t allow a personal item. The below table details the cabin bag allowances for airlines flying domestically in India.

Airline

Baggage Type

Dimensions Allowed

Weight

Air Asia

1 cabin bag and 1 personal item

56 x 36 x 23

40 x 30 x 10

7 kg

Air India

1 cabin bag

55 x 40 x 20

7 kg

Air India Express

1 cabin bag

Overall dimensions must not exceed 115cm (L+W+H)

7 kg

Akasa Air

1 cabin bag and 1 personal item

Overall dimensions must not exceed 115cm (L+W+H)

7 kg

Alliance Air

1 cabin bag and 1 personal item

40 x 30 x 16

5 kg

IndiGo

1 cabin bag

Overall dimensions must not exceed 115cm (L+W+H)

7 kg

Spice Jet

1 cabin bag and 1 personal item

55 x 35 x 25 (Boeing)

50 x 35 x 23 (Q400)

7 kg

Vistara

1 cabin bag and 1 personal item

55 x 40 x 20

7 kg

Information correct as of March 2026.

International airlines’ cabin luggage allowance

Airline by airline

When you’re flying internationally from India, you can usually bring a cabin bag and a personal item on board with you, but not always. The below table has all you need to know for international airlines flying from India.

Airline

Baggage Type

Dimensions

Weight

Air Asia

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 36 x 23

40 x 30 x 10

7 kg

Air France

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

55 x 35 x 25

40 x 30 x 15

12 kg

Air India

1 cabin bag

55 x 40 x 20

7 kg

Air India Express

1 cabin bag

Overall dimensions must not exceed 115cm (L+W+H)

7 kg

British Airways

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 45 x 25

40 x 30 x 15

Must be able to lift it overhead

Cathay Pacific

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 36 x 23

40 x 30 x 15

7 kg

Emirates

1 cabin bag

55 x 38 x 20

7 kg

Etihad

1 cabin bag

56 x 36 x 23

7 kg

KLM

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

55 x 35 x 25

40 x 30 x 15

12 kg

Lufthansa

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

55 x 40 x 23

40 x 30 x 10

8 kg

Malaysia Airlines

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 36 x 23

7 kg

Qatar Airways

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

50 x 37 x 25

7 kg

Singapore Airlines

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

Overall dimensions must not exceed 115cm (L+W+H)

7 kg

Spice Jet

1 cabin bag

55 x 35 x 25 (Boeing)

50 x 35 x 23 (others)

7 kg

Thai Airlines

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 45 x 25

7 kg

Turkish Airlines

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

55 x 40 x 23

40 x 30 x 15

8 kg

4 kg

Virgin Atlantic

1 cabin bag and

1 personal item

56 x 36 x 23

10 kg

Vistara

1 cabin bag

55 x 40 x 20

7 kg

Information correct as of March 2026.

Read more: Air India baggage allowance: A detailed guide for flyers

FAQs for flights to and from India

Each airline has its own rules on weight restrictions around cabin baggage, but a common limit is 7kg per passenger. This is sometimes only for the cabin bag, but with some airlines it’s a combined total between that and a personal item. Always check the hand baggage restrictions of your chosen airline.

Again, some airlines will weigh and measure cabin bags, but others don’t. If you’re checking in bags, you’ll often have your other bags weighed at the same time. Some airlines, especially budget carriers, check at the gate before you board. Once again, ensure you follow the hand baggage rules of your particular airline to avoid fees.

A “personal item” is normally something small enough to fit underneath the seat in front of you. Although definitions can vary from airline to airline, common items include handbags, laptop bags and camera cases.

The number of pieces of hand baggage you can take on board varies depending on the airline and your ticket class. Most airlines, such as Air France, British Airways, and KLM allow one carry-on bag plus a personal item (for example a purse, laptop bag, small backpack). However, other airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, and Emirates only allow one cabin bag per passenger with no additional personal item.

Yes, but with restrictions. Liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in containers of 100ml or less and placed in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag (1 litre capacity), to get through airport security. Once you’re through, you can buy larger liquids, such as drinks and lotions, which you can take onto the plane. It may be that these need to fit into your cabin bag to be allowed on board.

Yes, but they must be in your cabin bag, not checked luggage. Some airlines may have specific power capacity restrictions. Check with your chosen airline before travelling to ensure you follow their regulations around power banks and electronics.

Discover more

Packing smart starts with knowing the rules. Our cabin baggage allowance guide covers size and weight limits across all major airlines, and our IndiGo baggage guide goes deeper for India's most popular carrier. Before you zip up, check our list of 10 surprising banned items and if you need new luggage, our travel bag buying guide can help you choose the right one.

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