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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Anna Tims

As a polar guide I need to take a gun to the Arctic. But airlines are freezing me out

Arctic JS Eurostar KLM SAS
Three people in heavy expedition gear in a snowy landscape
Guns are carried by guides purely as emergency protection in case of an attack. But how to fly back home with one? Photograph: Stuart Forster/Alamy

I am a polar guide. I frequently travel to Spitsbergen, the Arctic island, with my firearm, which I carry as last-resort protection in case I am attacked by a polar bear. It is something I hope that I never have to use.

For the last five years or so, I have flown with it in and out of Manchester airport without issue. The problem now is that airlines will not tell you in advance which airports accept firearms. You have to first buy a ticket, then register it as special baggage.

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