Stories of violins being ‘manhandled’ and cellos falling over at airport security are indicative of inconsistent screening and handling practices putting valuable and irreplaceable instruments at risk
A new petition is calling for reforms to airport security procedures at airports to better protect professional musicians travelling with valuable and delicate instruments.
UK-based cellist Alba Merchant established the petition, after she and numerous colleagues encountered struggles with airport security and staff while travelling with their instruments from London Heathrow airport.
’Lately I have been hearing more and more stories from colleagues and the situation in airports only seems to be getting worse,’ Merchant told The Strad.
On a recent trip to Barcelona from London Heathrow, Merchant’s cello was taken away from her until she had gone through security checks herself, instead of being passed through the scanner. She also had to empty the contents of her case.
‘My cello was swabbed by someone who didn’t know how to handle it and they even hit my fingerboard in the process,’ she said.
Another musician, Savva Zverev, highlighted that violins could not pass through scanners and had to be checked by hand, due to the fact that the instruments could not fit in the trays.
’Not only that, but everything inside (tools, accessories, music, etc) has to be taken out of the case, put in a tray, then scanned and put back in the case.’
Zverev recalls security staff handling violins, placing it upside-down to swab the instrument, ’while you stand and hope they don’t damage or scratch your priceless instrument.
Matt Oshida further illustrated the arbitrary nature of the scanning situation, saying: ‘Depending on the inspector you are randomly assigned, this process can either be smooth or it can put fragile and extremely valuable instruments at risk.’
Oshida said that he previously was allowed to hold his violin himself while security personnel conducted their checks at Heathrow airport, but this was no longer the case.
He said of a recent journey: ’While travelling from Heathrow to Vienna, I was not permitted to hold my violin during the inspection. It was taken from me, handled in areas where musicians carefully avoid applying pressure or touching the varnish, and then placed roughly into the tray.’
Cellist Louisa Tuck, who holds principal positions with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic, recounted her experience at London Heathrow Terminal 2, travelling to Oslo.
Tuck handed over her Stevenson case containing her Gagliano cello, loaned to her by the Norwegian foundation Dextra Musica, when she asked the security staff to put the instrument on its side.
’They stood the Gagliano upright, worse than lying flat on the metal wheelie table. I wait my turn to have it searched. The security agent knocks it flat on its back against the metal machine.
’The slam of the case against metal was awful,’ Tuck said.
The security agent brought over the cello and opened the case. While the cello itself was not visibly damaged, the back of the head of the case was. ’Then I [had] to take it out of the case for the dreaded swab.’
At the time of writing, the petition had gained over 4,100 signatures. Merchant is aiming to reach 10,000 signatures and to put forward representation to Heathrow’s CEO, British Airways, the UK civil aviation authority, secretary of state for transport, among other relevant parties.
Merchant hopes that musicians would be involved in the security process to ensure fair treatment of the instruments.
’We all understand the need for security checks but cannot comprehend why an airport like Heathrow, through which tens of thousands of instruments must pass each year, doesn’t have the appropriate scans/facilities to make the process safe and stress free.’
She added, ’On my way back from Barcelona, I had my cello with me at all times and all I had to do was put it into a big scanner machine after going through security. The case didn’t even need to be opened and no one had to touch it at any point. Why can this not be the case in the UK?’
The petition emphasises that instruments are not luggage, but represent musicians’ livelihoods. The actions it is calling for are:
- Introduce standardised screening procedures specifically designed for musical instruments.
- Provide training for security personnel on the safe handling of common professional instruments.
- Install appropriately sized scanning equipment capable of accommodating larger instruments wherever feasible.
- Establish a specialist review process before requiring physical manipulation of delicate instruments.
- Consult with professional musician organisations when developing security protocols affecting instruments.
Earlier this year in February 2026, a meeting in Brussels brought together 150 stakeholders from the music and air transport sectors, as well as members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission, to establish consistent EU-wide rules for musicians flying with their instruments. It followed the launch of another petition set up in June 2025 by double bassist Valentina Ciardelli.
Read: EU meeting tackles musicians’ air‑transport challenges
Read: Lufthansa Group changes hand luggage rules following negotiations with violinist Carolin Widmann
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