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Passengers with a Mobility Impairment

Passengers with a Mobility Impairment

(I)Passengers Traveling With a Wheelchair

On flights operated by Air China, a wheelchair service is available for passengers with a mobility impairment or an injury. Air China staff will assist passengers to transfer from the check-in area to the boarding area using a wheelchair. In addition to the specified free baggage allowance, passengers are eligible to check in a wheelchair or another assistive device free of charge.


1. Ground Wheelchair Service

We provide a ground wheelchair service for passengers who are able to get on and off the plane by themselves and can walk to their seats in the cabin, and who only need to use a wheelchair to travel between the terminal, the tarmac and the aircraft. These passengers include elderly passengers aged 65 or over on the day of the scheduled departure, disabled passengers, as well as injured or ill passengers suffering from reduced mobility or leg injuries.

If you need to book this service, please submit a request before the deadline indicated below, either through the Air China app, official Air China website, Air China hotline, an Air China direct ticket sales departments, or sales agents. Please bring the relevant documentation to the airport for inspection during check-in:

(1) Request Deadline

A. For domestic routes (excluding: Hong Kong, China; Macau, China; Taiwan, China): please submit a request by 16:00 (inclusive) one day before the scheduled flight departure.

B. For international routes and routes departing from or arriving in Hong Kong, China, Macau, China, and Taiwan, China, please submit a request at least 48 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

(2) Request Documentation

For domestic routes, passengers must provide proof of disability or proof of injury/illness (original, copy, scanned, or photographed) issued within ten days (not including the day of departure) before the scheduled flight departure and signed/stamped by a doctor. Documentation must prove that the injury/illness has caused the passenger to suffer from reduced mobility.

Passengers are not required to provide proof of disability or injury/illness if their disability or reduced mobility is clearly visible, or if the passenger is aged 65 or over. The restrictions outlined in this paragraph do not apply to passengers traveling on international routes.



2. Boarding Wheelchair Service

We offer a Boarding Wheelchair Service for passengers whose mobility impairment means that while they are able to move to their seat in the cabin unaided, they are unable to board/disembark the aircraft. Passengers who require this service can submit a request via the Air China app, through any Air China direct ticket sales department or sales agent or by calling the Air China Hotline at least 48 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

We offer an On-board Wheelchair Service for passengers with a Level 1 or Level 2 physical disability. A Level 1 or Level 2 physical disability means that an individual is unable/mostly unable to complete everyday activities unaided.



3. On-board Wheelchair Service

We are able to provide an On-board Wheelchair Service for passengers who are unable to mobilize independently on Air China operated flights to/from Chengdu, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Dalian, Hohhot and Beijing. This service can help passengers get into and out of seats, move to and from the lavatory and so on.

In accordance with CAAC flight safety requirements, only a certain number of unaccompanied passengers who require the On-board Wheelchair Service may be accepted per flight. The number of passengers that may be accepted per flight is dependent on the aircraft type. Passengers who require the On-board Wheelchair Service can submit a request within the following timeframes via the Air China domestic website, or through any Air China direct ticket sales department or authorized sales agent.

A. Passengers traveling on routes to/from Africa, Central America and South America (including Havana) should submit their request no later than 72 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

B. Passengers on all other routes should submit their request no later 48 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

Upon booking, disabled passengers who submit a request for the On-board Wheelchair Service must provide a medical certificate dated within 10 days (not counting the date of departure) of their first scheduled flight departure. Upon check-in, passengers must provide a medical certificate dated within 72 hours of the scheduled flight departure (24 hours before the scheduled flight departure for routes to/from Tibet). Medical certificates must be true, valid, issued by a doctor or a medical institution at or above county level and do not have to include the words "fit for travel."

For passengers who have undergone surgery, proof of surgery will also be required. Due to health and safety considerations, we can only accept passengers who have undergone surgery if their surgery was conducted at least 10 days prior to the scheduled flight departure (not counting the date the surgery took place).



4. Service Restrictions

To ensure your safety and comfort and that of any accompanying personnel, your wheelchair is reserved for use by you alone. Please do not carry infants/children or any baggage that would exceed the baggage restrictions of your fare class when using the wheelchair. When transporting a passenger via wheelchair, accompanying personnel cannot supervise children or baggage. Thank you for your understanding. Any baggage that exceeds the restrictions for unchecked baggage in your fare class must be checked in.

For more information on restrictions for checked and unchecked baggage, please refer to Baggage Services.

★Special Note: Carriage of Injured or Ill Passengers

(i) For the health and safety of themselves, other passengers and crew members, injured or ill passengers should consult a doctor before planning a trip. The following injured or ill passengers are required to provide a true and valid medical certificate that clearly states "fit to fly" issued within 10 days of departure and signed or stamped by a doctor:

A. Passengers traveling on a stretcher.

B. Passengers that require the use of a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) throughout the flight.

C. Passengers who require medical attention or need to use medical equipment during the flight to keep them fit to fly.

D. Passengers who are known or suspected to have serious infectious diseases other than the major infectious diseases, who may endanger the health and safety of other passengers or crew members.

E. Passengers who have had surgery in the past 10 days (not including the day of surgery). (This requirement does not apply to routes to and from the United States.)

Even if you provide a certificate, we reserve the right to decide whether to let you travel at check-in based on your physical condition and the actual flight operation.

(ii) Passengers must request the stretcher service for their journey if they are unable to sit in a standard aircraft seat for any reason (e.g. cannot bend knee/hip joints due to arthritis) or if they are unable to sit in an upright position during takeoff and landing and no satisfactory alternative is available. Once we agree to the request and make the relevant arrangements, they can travel.



(II) Traveling with a Stretcher

1. Transport Requirements

We offer a Stretcher Service for passengers that are unable to sit in an upright position for the entire duration of their flight from takeoff to landing. Passengers who require the Stretcher Service can submit a request within the following timeframes through any Air China direct ticket sales department or authorized sales agent. Passengers will only be able to travel once Air China has made the necessary arrangements.

A. Passengers traveling on routes to/from the United States or Canada should submit a request at least 48 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

B. Passengers traveling on routes other than those to/from the United States or Canada should submit a request at least 3 days (not counting the date of departure) before the scheduled flight departure.

For safety reasons, arrangements should be made for stretcher passengers to be accompanied by at least one adult passenger or medical professional (over the age of 18) during the flight. Please check in at the airport check-in counter no later than 180 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time.



2. Medical Certificates

Upon booking, passengers are required to provide a medical certificate dated within 10 days of the first scheduled flight departure (not counting the date of departure). Medical certificates must be true, valid, issued by a doctor or a medical institution at or above county level and do not have to include the words "fit for travel."

Upon check-in, passengers are required to provide a medical certificate issued within 24 hours of the scheduled flight departure that permits the passenger to board the aircraft.



3. Applicable Fares

Stretcher equipment on Air China flights is installed in Economy Class. Passengers who require the Stretcher Service must pay the appropriate fare for each seat needed to install a stretcher. Please contact a member of Air China staff for specific details concerning applicable fares and taxes.



4. Free Baggage Allowances

On routes that use the weight concept for baggage allowances, Stretcher Service passengers are entitled to a free baggage allowance of 60 kg. Under the weight concept, each piece of baggage may not exceed 100 cm in length, 60 cm in width and 40cm in height. On routes that use the piece concept for baggage allowances, Stretcher Service passengers are entitled to carry 3 pieces of baggage as part of their free baggage allowance. Under the piece concept, each piece of baggage must not exceed 23 kg in weight and the overall dimensions of each piece of baggage must not exceed of 158 cm.



(III) Checked Electric Wheelchairs

1. Transport Requirements

Passengers who require an electric wheelchair due to limited mobility resulting from a disability or because of health or age reasons, and passengers who require an electric wheelchair as they are experiencing limited mobility in the short term because of a broken leg, etc. are eligible to have their electric wheelchair transported as checked baggage.

Electric wheelchairs cannot be taken into the cabin and must be checked in at the check-in counter. Passengers traveling with an electric wheelchair should check in at the airport check-in counter 2 hours (inclusive) before regular check-in for their scheduled flight opens. Electric wheelchairs are not included in a passenger’s free baggage allowance and only one electric wheelchair may be checked in per passenger.



2. Capacity Limits for Lithium Battery-powered Electric Wheelchairs

Passengers traveling with lithium battery-powered electric wheelchairs must ensure that the rated energy of the wheelchair battery does not exceed 300 Wh. If the wheelchair requires two batteries to operate, the rated energy of either battery must not exceed 160 Wh. Passengers are eligible to carry an additional battery with a rated energy of up to 300 Wh, or two additional batteries with a rated energy of up to 160 Wh. Lithium batteries should be carried by the passenger as carry-on baggage. Batteries that exceed the specified restrictions are not permitted.



(IV) Traveling with Other Assistive Devices

Assistive devices are devices used by the disabled/injured passenger as means of support in their life and work. Assistive devices include non-electric wheelchairs, walking aids, crutches, etc. that need to be used by a passenger during their journey because of limited mobility due to a disability or health problem.

If possible, assistive devices should be disassembled and packed if they are checked in so as to avoid loss or damage.


1. The following smaller devices may be brought into the cabin or checked in free of charge (subject to a limit of one item per passenger):

Folding manual wheelchairs, crutches, prostheses, cochlear implants, hearing aids, white canes, blackout glasses, visual aids, etc. The dimensions of these items may not exceed 33×91×106 cm.

Any devices brought into the cabin should fit in an overhead compartment or under the seat in front. Any baggage that cannot be stowed in an overhead compartment or placed under the seat in front, is overweight or oversized, or may jeopardize safety should be carried as checked baggage.



2. In addition to the smaller devices listed above, passengers may also check in one of the following assistive devices free of charge:

(1) Another of the smaller devices listed above

(2) A manual wheelchair

(3) An electric wheelchair or an electric personal assistive mobility device

(4) A robotic prosthesis and special gas cartridges for use with the prosthesis



(V) Elderly Guidance Service

We provide a departure guidance service for elderly passengers at select airports in China. These services are reserved for passengers traveling on flights operated by Air China who are unfamiliar with the airport or boarding procedures.

1. Eligibility

Elderly passengers aged 65 and above as of the day of departure, who are unfamiliar with the airport or boarding procedures.

2. Applicable Flights

Applicable Flights: Flights departing from Beijing Capital International Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Wenzhou Longwan International Airport, Hohhot Baita International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport AND arriving in Beijing Capital International Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Wenzhou Longwan International Airport, Hohhot Baita International Airport, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport.


Service location: Service available at departure airports.

3. Service Content

We provide the guidance service for elderly passengers at the departure airport. The service involves guiding the elderly passenger through from the check-in counter to the boarding gate. Select airports have established specific security-check channels for elderly passengers. Should local airport regulations allow, we also provide guidance for elderly passengers passing through these channels.

4. Service Booking

If you need to book this service, please submit a request before the deadline indicated below through the Air China hotline or an Air China ticket office: For domestic routes (excluding: Hong Kong, China; Macau, China; Taiwan, China): please submit a request by 16:00 (inclusive) one day before the scheduled flight departure.

5. Service Deadline

Considering the different physical distances from check-in to boarding and the elderly policies of various airports,our guidance service is provided from 2 hours before the flight departure to 30 minutes before the check-in counter closes.

For the closing times of check-in counters, please refer to the "China Airports Check-in Closing Time for Air China Flights".

★Special Note

Air China staff cannot handle or supervise your carry-on baggage. To ensure a safe and smooth journey, please familiarize yourself with the restrictions and requirements of carry-on and checked baggage. Certain items are permitted for your checked baggage but not for your carry-on baggage, including fruit knives and alcoholic beverages. Please ensure that such items are packed in your checked baggage. Any baggage that exceeds the restrictions for unchecked baggage in your fare class must be checked in together.

For more information on restrictions for checked and unchecked baggage, please refer to Baggage Services.



(VI) Passenger Quotas for Disabled Passengers by Aircraft Type

Aircraft Type Passengers with on-board wheelchairs Passengers traveling with a guide dog/hearing dog in the cabin Passengers traveling with an emotional support dog in the cabin Unaccompanied blind passengers Unaccompanied passengers with an intellectual disability or mental disorder
ARJ21 2
Only one of these passengers may be a passenger traveling with an emotional support dog in the cabin and this passenger is limited to one dog only.
B737-700/800/8 4
Only one of these passengers may be a passenger traveling with an emotional support dog in the cabin and this passenger is limited to one dog only.
A319/A320
A321
B747 6
Only one of these passengers may be a passenger traveling with an emotional support dog in the cabin and this passenger is limited to one dog only.
B777-200
B777-300ER
B787
A330/A350