Major Iain Dalziel-Job, 60, of the Scots Guards Association, learned of the regulation as he prepared to send 650 Christmas parcels to the soldiers.

The British Forces Post Office website defines Christmas cracker snaps as explosives, banned on RAF aircraft.

There are no such rules for passenger aeroplanes. "Large numbers of Christmas crackers are classified as dangerous air cargo and therefore require special handling."

Civil Aviation Authority rules, which govern passenger aircraft, state that Christmas crackers which are complete and in their retail packaging do not have sufficient explosive in the "snap" to be regarded as dangerous.

It is only when the "snaps" are transported on their own that they are treated as dangerous goods.

The Scots Guards Association had already had its plans to include alcohol miniatures in the packages scuppered due to alcohol being forbidden in Islamic countries.

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