Help & Guidance

Is There a Smoking Area at Birmingham Airport?

Yes, a designated outdoor area before security, but none after security, and no smoking or vaping inside the terminal. Vaping is treated like smoking.

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If you are flying from Birmingham Airport and wondering where you can smoke or vape, here is the key point: there is a designated outdoor smoking area before security, outside the terminal, but there are no smoking or vaping areas after security. Vaping is treated the same as smoking throughout. This guide explains the position so you can plan, alongside our guide on whether vaping indoors is allowed.

Before security

The designated smoking area is outside the terminal building, near the main entrance, and is available to everyone before they pass through security. This is the only place on the airport grounds where you can smoke or vape. It is marked with signage and ashtrays, and smoking is not allowed elsewhere, such as right by the doors or along the drop off zones, only within the designated area.

Smoking and vaping at Birmingham Airport

Location	Allowed?
Designated outdoor area (before security)	Yes, smoking and vaping
Inside the terminal	No
After security (airside)	No smoking or vaping areas
By the doors or drop off	No, only the designated area
Vaping	Treated the same as smoking

After security

Once you pass through security, there are no smoking or vaping areas, as the airside smoking facility was closed and not replaced. You cannot smoke or vape anywhere inside the terminal, including the departure lounge and gates. If you left to smoke, you would have to clear security again, which risks delays, so it is best to use the outdoor area before you go through.

There is a designated outdoor smoking area before security at Birmingham Airport, but none after security, and no smoking or vaping inside the terminal. Vaping is treated like smoking.

Tips for travellers

• Use the designated outdoor area before going through security
• Allow time, as you cannot smoke or vape airside
• Consider nicotine gum, pouches or patches for the airside wait and flight
• Follow signage and staff instructions to avoid penalties
• Pack vape devices and liquids in line with airport and airline rules

Myths and facts

Myth	The reality
You can vape inside the terminal	No, vaping is treated like smoking and is not allowed inside the terminal.
There is a smoking area after security	No, there are no smoking or vaping areas after security.
You can smoke by the entrance doors	No, only within the designated outdoor area, not by the doors.
Vaping is allowed where smoking is not	Birmingham Airport treats vaping the same as smoking.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a smoking area at Birmingham Airport?

Yes, a designated outdoor area before security, outside the terminal near the main entrance. There are no smoking or vaping areas after security.

Can I vape inside the terminal?

No, vaping is treated the same as smoking and is not allowed inside the terminal.

Is there anywhere to smoke after security?

No, there are no smoking or vaping areas airside; you would have to exit and re clear security.

What can I use airside instead?

Nicotine gum, pouches or patches can be used while you wait, as an alternative to smoking or vaping.

Could the rules change?

Yes, airport facilities can change, so check the latest signage and the airports website before you travel.

The bottom line

At Birmingham Airport, there is a designated outdoor smoking area before security, located outside the terminal near the main entrance, and this is the only place you can smoke or vape on the airport grounds. There are no smoking or vaping areas after security, and you cannot smoke or vape inside the terminal at all, with vaping treated the same as smoking. Plan to use the outdoor area before you go through security, and consider nicotine gum or pouches for the wait, as facilities can change, so check the airports latest guidance.

More help and related reading

If this guide raised other questions, the Help and Guidance library has plain English answers to many more. The closely related pages below are worth a look, and you can always return to the main hub to browse every topic we cover. If you are unsure about a product, rule or your travel plans, checking the official guidance is always wise.

• Is it illegal to vape indoors?
• How to use nicotine pouches
• How long does vape smoke stay in the air?
• Browse the full Help and Guidance library

Key things to remember

• Designated outdoor smoking area before security
• No smoking or vaping areas after security
• No smoking or vaping inside the terminal
• Vaping is treated the same as smoking
• Facilities can change, so check before you travel

Planning a long layover or wait

If you face a long wait or layover at Birmingham Airport, it pays to plan around the rules. Because there is nowhere to smoke or vape airside, leaving the secure area to smoke would mean queuing through security again, which can be slow and risks your flight. For most travellers it is simpler to smoke or vape at the outdoor area before security and then settle in airside.

For the time spent airside or on the flight, nicotine gum, pouches or lozenges can be used to manage cravings, since these do not produce smoke or vapour and are not subject to the same restrictions. Packing some before you travel can make a long wait much more comfortable.

Plan ahead

Situation	Sensible approach
Before security	Use the designated outdoor area
Long airside wait	Consider gum, pouches or lozenges
Connecting flight	Avoid exiting to smoke if time is tight
Inside terminal	No smoking or vaping at all
Before travel	Check current airport guidance

A few more questions

Can I use nicotine pouches airside?

Yes, nicotine gum, pouches and lozenges produce no smoke or vapour and can be used while you wait, unlike smoking or vaping.

Do and don’t

Do

• Use the designated outdoor area before security
• Allow time, as there is nowhere airside
• Consider gum or pouches for the wait and flight
• Check current signage and the airport website

Try not to

• Try to vape inside the terminal
• Expect a smoking area after security
• Smoke by the doors or drop off zones
• Exit to smoke if your connection is tight

Travelling with your vape

It also helps to know the basics of travelling with a vape. Vape devices and spare batteries should be carried in your hand luggage, not checked in, and e liquids must follow the usual rules on liquids in cabin baggage. Rules can vary by airline and destination, so it is worth checking your airlines guidance before you fly, as well as the rules at your arrival airport and country.

None of that changes where you can use a vape at Birmingham Airport, which is only the designated outdoor area before security. But being packed correctly avoids hold ups at the security check and makes the journey smoother.

Travelling with a vape

Item	Where it goes
Vape device	Hand luggage
Spare batteries	Hand luggage, protected
E liquids	Hand luggage, within liquid rules
Using it	Only the designated outdoor area
Before flying	Check airline and destination rules

More questions answered

Can I charge my vape in the terminal?

You can typically use charging points like any device, but you still cannot use the vape itself inside the terminal.

What happens if I vape inside?

You may be asked to stop and could face enforcement, as the airport applies a strict no smoking and no vaping policy indoors.

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A quick word on safety and the law

Vaping and nicotine products are intended for adult smokers and existing vapers as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes. They contain nicotine unless stated otherwise, which is addictive, and they are not suitable for non smokers, pregnant women or anyone under 18. By law you must be 18 or over to buy vaping products in the UK, and we age verify every order. If you want to stop using nicotine altogether, your local stop smoking service offers free, tailored support.

UK public health bodies advise that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, but it is not risk free, and if you do not smoke the advice is not to start.

Airport facilities and rules can change, so always check the latest signage at the airport and the airports own website before you travel.