If you have an existing medical condition, you should be able to fly on a commercial aircraft without difficulty. However, you may need to take some precautions, so we're here to advise you what to do. We only request medical clearance when fitness to travel is in doubt.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate any stretchers in our aircraft cabins.
If you are flying with us and you have a condition that may affect you in-flight, please contact the PMCU. The PMCU deals with over 650 medical clearance cases every month and will be able to advise you, your doctor or other healthcare professionals about your fitness to fly.
Medical clearance is only considered upon receipt of the medical information (or MEDIF) forms. Please fill in part 1 yourself and ask your doctor to fill in part 2.
Download the MEDIF form parts 1 and 2 (PDF - 650KB, English only)
If you have any queries, you can contact the PMCU team by:
It's important that you have access to the right services and care throughout your journey, so please read our information for people with disabilities as you may need to contact us before you fly.
Most people with existing medical conditions are able to fly without difficulty. However, certain precautions sometimes need to be taken.
We strongly recommend that you check any vaccination requirements at least six weeks before you fly and ensure that you have adequate travel insurance to cover medical costs should you become ill whilst you are away from home.
Medical clearance to fly is required when:
Most medical cases are straightforward but others require individual assessment. In some cases, we may ask that you travel with a medical escort or with supplementary oxygen (for which a charge is made).
In common with most airlines, we assess your fitness to fly based on internationally accepted criteria; the aim is to ensure that you have a safe, comfortable and uneventful journey.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate any stretchers in our aircraft cabins.
Download the World Health Organisation fitness to fly information (PDF - 84KB)
We can provide in-flight oxygen on all our aircraft; it is restricted to one passenger per flight so contact our Passenger Medical Clearance Unit for availability and advice regarding flow rates.
Medical clearance is required; you must fill out the MEDIF form below, Part 1 should be filled out by you (alternatively by your Sales Office/Agent). Part 2 need to be completed by your treating Doctor. When the form is complete please return it to the Passenger Medical Clearance Unit within British Airways. The return address is on page 2 of the form, or fax to 020 8738 9644, or email pmcu.pmcu@ba.com
British Airways cannot provide ground oxygen whilst transiting through the airport.
There is currently no charge for the provision of in-flight oxygen.
Download the MEDIF form parts 1 and 2 (PDF - 650KB, English only)
You must be extra careful about flying if you've had an operation or a serious illness, as travel can be stressful. It is wise not to travel if you don't feel up to it.
The following guide outlines the minimum time before it is advisable to travel after treatment or if you need to highlight your condition to us before travelling.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate any stretchers in our aircraft cabins.
| Type of surgery | Travel allowed after (number of days) |
|---|---|
| Major chest, abdominal or cranial surgery Middle ear surgery | 10 days |
| Cataract or corneal laser or other eye surgery Introduction of gas into the eye for retinal detachment | 1 day 6 days Contact the PMCU, if the gas has not been resolved. Air retained in body cavities expands in flight. |
| Tonsillectomy | 6 days |
| Appendectomy or abdominal keyhole surgery | 4 days |
| Heart conditions | |
| Angioplasty | If the procedure is straightforward, you can usually fly after 3 to 5 days but you should discuss it with the PMCU. |
| Heart surgery | If you feel well enough and really need to fly, you can travel after 10 days but 4 to 6 weeks is preferable. |
| Heart attack | You should not fly
|
| Angina sufferers | As long as you don't have frequent attacks, there is no restriction. Remember to take your medication into the cabin with you. |
| Chest conditions | |
| Stable asthma | This is not usually a problem as long as you take your inhalers with you. |
| Chronic bronchitis, emphysema or other forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | If you can walk (without extra oxygen) for 55 yds (50m) without getting breathless, you should be fit to fly. If you can't walk this far:
|
| Pneumothorax (deflated lung) | The condition has to be fully resolved for at least a week before flying, but you must contact the PMCU if you've had one in the month before you fly. |
| Neurological conditions | |
| Stroke | If your symptoms are stable or improving and you feel well enough:
|
| Epilepsy | You should not travel within 24 hours of a grand mal fit. |
| Ear conditions | |
| Ear or sinus infection | You should not fly if:
|
| Other conditions | |
| Broken bone | If you have broken a bone and have been fitted with a plaster cast:
Please contact our customer service teams to make provisions. Any queries please contact Passenger Medical Clearance Unit on 020 8738 5444. |
| Anaemia | If you have a haemoglobin below 7.5g/dl, particularly if it is of recent onset, it must be discussed with the PMCU. |
| Infectious disease | The World Health Organisation prohibits airlines from carrying passengers suffering from an infectious disease whilst they are contagious. Infectivity periods vary between illnesses and further information can be obtained from your doctor or through the PMCU. |
| Travelling with a medical escort after a serious illness or injury | In some situations, patients who are ill are able to travel with appropriate medical escorts. We prefer such cases to be organised by a recognised medical assistance company because of the specialised nature of this work. |
As long as your Diabetes is stable, there are no restrictions on your ability to fly.
Please note:
Food allergies can vary both in type and severity. Common food allergies include peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, shellfish and strawberries. Special and medical meals can be ordered to exclude a variety of food classes, such as seafood, dairy and gluten. You can learn what to expect when travelling with us and read about the options available to you on our food allergy page:
Travelling with food allergies
Severe allergic reactions on board the aircraft are rare, but passengers with particularly severe allergies should consider the following precautions when flying.
Cabin environment
British Airways can never guarantee a nut free cabin, and cannot prevent other passengers bringing their own food on board the aircraft to consume during the flight. We acknowledge and observe the recommendations for allergen sensitive passengers as recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
If you have a known allergic reaction/sensitivity you should contact your treating doctors to discuss the travel risks. Your doctor will discuss the practical steps you should take to minimize and manage the risk of allergy if you have been prescribed an epinephrine/adrenaline auto injector (such as, but not limited, to Epipen, Anapen, Twinject or Jext). This should be carried in hand baggage and should be easily accessible throughout the flight (not stored in the overhead locker but on your person, or in the seat pocket in front of you, for example). You should also inform those travelling with you where you have placed the medication and what to do in an emergency.
Our crew are unable to make on board announcements or alert other customers to individual medical conditions.
Being prepared
You should discuss with your treating doctors the best way to minimize your risks and how to treat yourself in the event of an exposure to a known allergen. These include, but are not limited to:
You will need to make special arrangements to take essential medical equipment with you for use at your destination, which can be arranged through your booking agent.
Battery-operated nebulisers can be used in-flight with the exception of take-off and landing. It is not possible to supply mains power and you need to notify the PMCU before you travel.
In most circumstances, you can take equipment with you. If it is likely that you will exceed baggage allowances, you should discuss it with Reservations or the PMCU in advance of travel and well before you arrive at the airport; otherwise, you may be liable to additional baggage charges.
Find out more about our hand baggage allowance
Download the MEDIF form parts 1 and 2 (PDF - 650KB, English only)
All British Airways aircraft have a sharps box on board for disposal of needles, lancets, syringes or empty insulin cartridges.
Should you require a sharps box, please ask the crew and they will provide one for you.
Used medical equipment must not be placed in the seat pockets or toilets.
Travellers' thrombosis is better known as deep venous thrombosis (or DVT) and is the clotting of blood that usually occurs in the lower legs. DVT can occur in anyone at any time, although some individuals are more at risk than others. Recent research has confirmed that anyone seated in an aircraft, car, bus or train for more than four hours may also be at increased risk.
Factors increasing the DVT risk include:
You can reduce the DVT risk by following our advice:
If you have any of the additional risk factors listed, you should seek medical advice before travelling. In particular, you should discuss whether compression stockings would be appropriate and if anti-coagulant medication is necessary.
Although pregnancy is not considered to be a medical condition and you are able to travel until quite late into your pregnancy, please note that:
We are required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to spray the aircraft cabin into certain destinations to prevent the risk of insects spreading highly dangerous disease, such as malaria and dengue fever.
On routes where we are required to spray, cabin crew will read out a brief statement advising you that spraying is about to take place. This will give you the opportunity to cover your eyes and nose if you wish.
The spray clears from the aircraft in a few minutes.
The sprays contain synthetic pyrethroids, which are widely used in sanitation products.
The WHO assesses the safety of insecticides and recommends the use of the following synthetic pyrethroids:
N.B. Aircraft entering Australia and New Zealand need to be sprayed twice - initially with Permethrin residual insecticide and then with a Phenothrin spray.
Spraying the cabin is mandatory for the following routes:
| Country | Flights departing from: |
| Algeria | Algiers |
| Angola | Luanda |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Azerbaijan | Baku |
| Bahamas | Nassau |
| Brazil | Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo |
| China | Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai |
| Egypt | Cairo |
| Ghana | Accra |
| India | Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai |
| Iran | Tehran |
| Jamaica | Kingston |
| Kenya | Nairobi |
| Liberia | Monrovia (after departure from Freetown) |
| Mexico | Cancun, Mexico City |
| Nigeria | Abuja, Lagos |
| Republic of Korea | Seoul |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh, Jeddah |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown |
| South Africa | Cape Town, Johannesburg |
| Thailand | Bangkok |
| Uganda | Entebbe |
| Zambia | Lusaka |
| Flights to: | Flights arriving at: |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Barbados | Barbados |
| India | Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai |
| Jamaica | Kingston |
| Kenya | Nairobi |
| Flights departing from: | Flights arriving at: |
| Antigua | Tobago |
| Colombo | Maldives |
| Grenada | St Lucia |
| Maldives | Colombo |
| Muscat | Abu Dhabi |
| Port of Spain | St Lucia |
| Punta Cana | Antigua |
| Singapore | Sydney |
| St Lucia | Port of Spain |
| St Lucia | Grenada |
British Airways Travel Clinics have now closed due to the closure of the British Airways Travel Shops with which we were co-located.
We have transferred our Travel Clinic business to MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad), who have become British Airways preferred partner for travel health services.
MASTA is a travel health provider with a network of travel clinics across the UK. They provide expert travel medicine advice and treatment to the travelling public, including a comprehensive immunisation service and a wide range of anti-malarial drugs.
British Airways will retain copies of customers vaccination records. If you require a letter confirming these, please write to the address below stating your name, address, data of birth, contact number and enclose a stamped, addressed envelope. Please note that information will only be traced back as far as 2002.
However, we do provide duplicate current Yellow Fever certificates. Please also write to the address below stating your name, address, date of birth, contact telephone number, month and year of your Yellow Fever vaccination and enclose a stamped, addressed envelope. An administrative charge of £10 is made for this service which should be paid by cheque made payable to British Airways Health Services.
British Airways Health Services - Travel Clinic records
British Airways Plc
Europe House
Waterside (HMAG)
PO Box 365
Harmondsworth UB7 0GB
