India: Ban on e-cigarettes on flights and in airports

The day after the ban in the State of New York, in the United States, on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes on its territory, India banned the complete use of electronic cigarettes in its airports and on domestic and international flights.[1]. All forms of electronic cigarettes such as electronic hookah, heated tobacco devices and similar devices will therefore be prohibited from use in these high-traffic areas.[2].

Regular measures to combat smoking in India

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) declared last February that e-cigarettes would no longer be allowed in the country's airports or on its domestic and international flights. This ban follows other measures, also attempting to limit the consumption of e-cigarettes, described as "undeniably harmful" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 26, 2019.[3].

In September 2019, India effectively banned the use of e-cigarettes. Then, in December 2019, it banned all production, manufacturing, import, export, transportation, sale, distribution, storage, and advertising of e-cigarettes. Failure to comply with these bans “is punishable by one year in prison and/or a fine of 100,000 rupees (1,270 euros), up to 3 years and/or 500,000 rupees (6,300 euros) in the event of a repeat offence”[4].

Indian government positions are being met with backlash from deadly industry

These successive bans represent a real obstacle for international companies, such as Juul Labs or Philipp Moris. In a purely economic logic, India being a country of 1.3 billion inhabitants where, according to data revealed by The Tobacco Atlas, more than 625,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 start smoking cigarettes every day [2], the country certainly represents an extremely interesting potential market. These bans are shaking up the expansion prospects of these tobacco manufacturers with a long arm, but the fact remains that these positive advances in the fight against smoking and especially smoking among the youngest who are increasingly starting to vape, remain extremely fragile. As proof, Juul is reportedly looking for management profiles with the mission of building relations with the Indian government.

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