Can you take gasoline or kerosene on a plane?

Gasoline and kerosene on flights in and from Japan

The rule for gasoline and kerosene comes from the Civil Aviation Bureau's list of restricted items and is the same on domestic and international flights.

Petrol, kerosene, diesel and fuels sold under other names

Every list we read that names liquid fuel bans it in any amount. What differs is the names each one uses, and how it treats a container that once held fuel.

Where Japan's list puts fuel

On Japan's list of restricted items gasoline has a row of its own, and kerosene and diesel oil share the next. Both rows show a × under carry-on and a × under checked baggage. The rows that follow, thinner and benzine, carry the same marks, so those solvents get the same answer as motor fuel.

No amount is small enough

Fuel is not a liquids-bag item. On Japan's list the quantity columns beside gasoline and kerosene are empty. Australia's CASA fills the quantity field of its entry Petrol, diesel, fuel, fuel additives etc with the words Not applicable - forbidden item, and the TSA entry Gasoline gives a bare No in both columns, with no special instructions attached.

Camp fuel and spirits under local names

A different name on the tin does not change the answer. CASA lists methylated spirits (Metho) and Shellite, white petrol, white spirit, mineral turpentine and turps as Item Not Permitted. The TSA has its own No and No entry for Turpentine and Paint Thinner. South Korea's dangerous goods page puts gasoline under flammable liquids in the company of lighter fuel, thinner, paint and alcohol.

Cans, tanks and engines that held fuel

The empty container is judged separately. CASA lists an empty jerry can with camping stoves and fuel containers that are empty, drained and cleaned: checked baggage only, with airline approval. Japan's list has no row for fuel cans. Its row for engines and generators allows checking only if the tank has never held fuel or has been purged, and the fuel system is completely empty and sealed or capped.

Gasoline and kerosene: the rule country by country

The carry-on answer for gasoline and kerosene is the same in all 5 other places we checked.

Each row comes from that authority's own page. Airlines can be stricter, and the screening officer has the final say.

If security in Japan will not let gasoline and kerosene through

What to do

Gasoline and kerosene cannot go in checked baggage either. Leave them behind or hand them to someone who is not flying. Narita Airport states that anything given up at the checkpoint is discarded and cannot be returned.

If it gets on board

Taking an item that is restricted from the cabin onto an aircraft is punishable under Japan's Civil Aeronautics Act: up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 1,000,000 yen.

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