Smartwings kitesurf equipment: fees, weight limits and how to pack
Smartwings names "kiteboard + kite" on its sports equipment list. It costs €90 per piece per leg, but you have to request it through the contact form at least two days before departure.
Smartwings carries kitesurf equipment: "kiteboard + kite" is named on its sports equipment list. Sports equipment up to 32kg costs €90 per piece per leg. You can't just tick a box, though. Smartwings wants it requested through the contact form at least two days before departure, and it can refuse carriage if there isn't enough space.
The rules and fees below are from the Smartwings website on 25 October 2026. Fee tables change, so check again before you book.
For how other airlines compare, see flying with kitesurf equipment.
Smartwings sports equipment at a glance
| What | According to Smartwings |
|---|---|
| Category | sports equipment, kiteboard + kite named on the list |
| Fee | €90 (2,200 CZK), code SPEQ, one price in the table |
| Charged per | piece and leg, so twice for a return trip |
| Weight | up to 32kg |
| Size | no checked item over 250cm (length + width + height) |
| Advance notice | at least 2 days (48 hours) |
| How to add | contact form; on a package holiday, the tour operator |
| Refunds | fees are non-refundable |
How to book a kite bag with Smartwings
Extra baggage weight can be ordered in My bookings, but sports equipment goes through the contact form, the same as oversized baggage. Here's how I'd do it:
- Weigh and measure the packed bag: kilos, length, width and height.
- Use the contact form as soon as you've bought the ticket, not two days before you fly. Give your booking number, flight and what's in the bag: kiteboard, how many kites, bar, harness.
- Save the confirmation on your phone and have it at the check-in desk.
- Label the bag with your name and contact details. Smartwings wants sports equipment packed separately and recognisable at check-in.
Report it, don't hide it
The Baggage policy PDF gives a 24-hour deadline for reporting sports equipment, while the website pages say 48 hours or two days. I'd go with the longer one.
What it costs for a return trip
The sports equipment fee is fixed, per piece and leg. The Plus and Flex fares include a 23kg checked bag; Lite includes no checked bag, and the booking shows what one costs.
| Option (flight only, not a package) | Return trip |
|---|---|
| Kite bag up to 32kg | 2 x €90 = €180 |
| Kite bag + 23kg suitcase on Plus or Flex | €180 + suitcase included in the fare |
| Kite bag + suitcase on Lite | €180 + suitcase price shown when booking |
| Suitcase over 23kg (max 32kg), paid 36+ hours ahead | €40 extra per piece per leg |
For comparison, the cheapest one-way fare from Prague to Hurghada shown on the Smartwings site on 25 October 2026 was from €122.28. On a cheap ticket, the €90 sports fee is a big share of the trip.
What's different about Smartwings
Package holidays: the tour operator's prices apply
If your Smartwings flight to Egypt or the Canaries is part of a package, you book sports equipment with the tour operator, not Smartwings, and its price list applies. Smartwings also says tour operator clients may have different weight limits. When comparing packages, ask what the kite bag costs both ways.
Hard limits: 32kg and 250cm
For technical reasons, no checked item may weigh more than 32kg or measure more than 250cm in combined length, width and height, including handles and pockets. A 138cm twintip fits a 140cm board bag, as I explain in the board bag guide, which leaves 110cm for width and height combined. Get a longer bag confirmed through the form.
Kites without a board
Smartwings wants all sports equipment reported in advance. Its website doesn't say whether kites and a bar in a suitcase count as sports equipment when you're not bringing a board. If I were you, I'd ask in the same form and keep the answer.
Electronics and batteries in the cabin
- Electronics: Smartwings' rules don't allow electronic devices in checked baggage. Your camera and phone go in the cabin.
- Spare batteries and power banks: carry-on only, with terminals protected against short circuits.
- Spare 100-160Wh batteries: maximum 2, and only with the airline's approval, requested by email at least 2 days before departure.
Where kiters fly with Smartwings
Smartwings has regular direct flights from Prague to Hurghada (about 4h15) and Marsa Alam (about 4h30). Its destinations from Prague also include Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
For the spots around Hurghada, see kitesurfing Hurghada and El Gouna; for the islands, see kitesurfing in the Canary Islands.
Practical tips
- Expensive gear: you can declare a higher baggage value at least 24 hours before handing the bag over and pay the airline's charge.
- Damage: report it at baggage reclaim and get a report filled in, no later than 7 days after delivery; delay within 21 days. For what your policy should cover, see kitesurfing travel insurance.
- Packing: fins off the board, kites fully deflated, bar in its cover. More in kite board bags and flying with your gear.
- The flight home: a wet wetsuit and sand add weight, so weigh the bag again before you fly back.
On the kite safari in Egypt I go on, there are pumps and a compressor on board and you can rent a twintip for €60 for 6 days (2026 prices). You don't need to bring a board, but check with Smartwings whether kites on their own count as sports equipment. The kite safari packing list covers the rest.
Questions
Does Smartwings accept kitesurf equipment?
Yes. "Kiteboard + kite" is on Smartwings' list of sports equipment. You need to request carriage through the contact form at least two days before departure, and it may be refused for capacity reasons.
How much does Smartwings charge for sports equipment?
The fee table checked on 25 October 2026 lists sports equipment up to 32kg at €90 (2,200 CZK) per piece per leg, so €180 for a return trip. Smartwings says its fees are non-refundable.
I'm on a package holiday with a Smartwings flight. Who do I pay for my kite bag?
The tour operator. If your flight is part of a holiday package, Smartwings says you book sports equipment through the tour operator, subject to its price list. Tour operator clients may also have different baggage weight limits.
Can I take a kite as normal checked baggage on Smartwings?
Smartwings wants all sports equipment reported in advance, and under its conditions of carriage it isn't liable for sports equipment that wasn't duly reported and packed separately. Its website doesn't say whether kites without a board count as sports equipment, so ask through the contact form.
Sources and fact checks (13)
- Smartwings: sport equipment includes kiteboard + kite, surfboard, paddleboard and windsurfing equipment; carriage must be purchased via Contact Form at least two days before departure and may be denied for capacity reasons; price as per the price list; on a holiday package, purchase at the tour operator subject to its price list www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings fee table: SPEQ sports equipment (1 piece / leg) up to 32.0kg €90 / 2,200 CZK; baggage overweight over 23kg (max 32kg / 1 piece / leg) €40 paid 36 hours or more before departure, €48 less than 36 hours; each additional bag €40 / €48, at the gate €60 www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: Lite fare without checked bag, Plus and Flex 1 x 23kg, Business 2 x 32kg; no checked piece over 32kg or 250cm in combined length, width and height including handles, pockets and wheels; baggage pooling not allowed www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: baggage over 23kg, oversized baggage (one side up to 150cm, sum of three sides up to 250cm) and all sports equipment must be reported in advance; tour operator clients book through the tour operator and may have different weight limits; carriage may be refused for capacity reasons www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: sports equipment must be reported at least 48 hours before departure via the contact form; all fees are non-refundable www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings conditions of carriage: the carrier is not liable for loss of or damage to sporting equipment that failed to be duly reported and packed separately; report baggage damage immediately or no later than 7 days after delivery, delay within 21 days www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings Baggage policy: sporting equipment must be packed separately and recognisable at check-in; passengers may declare a higher baggage value at least 24 hours before handing it over and pay the charge; on charter flights the weight limit may be adjusted by the lease agreement www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: carriage of electronic devices in checked baggage is prohibited; spare lithium batteries and power banks in carry-on only, protected against short circuits; spare batteries 100-160Wh max 2 with prior approval requested no later than 2 days before departure by email www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: Prague - Hurghada and Prague - Marsa Alam listed, one-way from €122.28 and €123.51 (25 October 2026) www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: regular and direct flights Prague - Hurghada, flight time 4:15 www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: regular and direct flights Prague - Marsa Alam, flight time 4:30 www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Smartwings: destinations from Prague include Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife www.smartwings.com (checked 25 October 2026)
- Safari 2026: compressor and pumps on board; twintip rental €60 / 6 days paradisekitesurf.cz (checked 25 October 2026)
