Sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts have reacted with fury to British Airways’ decision to ban surfboards and other items of sporting equipment from flights.

Until this announcement, BA had been the last of the traditional airlines to carry sporting goods free of charge – airlines such as Iberia charge up to £500 for such items – but, from November 6, BA will refuse to carry surfboards, windsurfing equipment, hang-gliders, kayaks, canoes, pole vaults and javelins, citing “handling complexities”.

Skis and snowboards will still be carried free of charge, as will other similarly bulky items, such as golf clubs, mountain bikes and diving equipment.

Asked to explain the difference between a surfboard and a snowboard as an item of checked luggage, BA claimed that the similarity in size and weight of the items was irrelevant.

“We have far more people who want to travel with snowboards than with surfboards,” said the airline. “The ban on surfboards is more a matter of logistics.”

Tour operators selling surfing holidays claim to be stunned by the ban. “We’re shocked and disappointed at the news,” says James Bailey of Surf Berbere. “Surfers have long used BA because of their friendly and flexible service, especially with regard to surf equipment. We cannot understand this decision.”

However, Wes Baker of Pure Surf Vacations says surfers may have brought the ban on themselves. “It’s commonplace to put maybe two boards in one bag and get away with it,” he says. “But in recent years, many travelling surfers have been putting three or four boards in one bag. It’s a total abuse of surfboard carriage.”