Qatar Airways strives to provide all passengers with a seamless experience.
Passengers with disabilities or medical conditions can request special services through 'Manage booking'. We provide services such as wheelchair assistance, stowage of assistive devices, escort services for the visually impaired, as well as special meal and seat selection.
If you've been instructed to complete a Medical Information Form (MEDIF), please ensure that it is submitted at least 48 hours before your departure.*
For more information, please contact us.
*Please keep in mind varying time zones and office working hours in each country to meet the submission timelines.
You can request a wheelchair during booking or anytime up to 48 hours before departure via 'Manage booking' on qatarairways.com or our mobile app. Alternatively, you can also contact your local Qatar Airways office. If you need assistance to your seat with a wheelchair, please make a special request in advance.
You can request airport assistance at the check-in counters, information desks or special handling counters. We can assist you to your flight gate and onto the aircraft, and from the aircraft side through immigration, customs and baggage formalities to the drop-off point.
Our aircraft have a range of mobility-friendly facilities on board, such as seats with movable armrests and hand rails in lavatories in selected aircraft. In addition, on-board wheelchairs are available on our Airbus A330, A350, A380, and Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.
- You will be able to use your personal wheelchair or mobility aid wherever possible. However, another wheelchair will be used to take you to your allocated seat on the aircraft. In order to receive assistance to your seat, you need to make a request in advance.
- Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids will be accepted as checked baggage and kept in the aircraft hold. We will not accept the transport of a damaged or leaking battery.
- Details of your wheelchair or mobility aid and batteries must be provided to our staff before travel. This will enable our staff to better assist you as well as to take adequate safety measures.
You can take a cane, crutches, or a walking stick on board and we’ll make sure it’s safely stowed.
Passengers who need to travel on a stretcher can only fly in Economy Class and only for a journey with no transit.
A passenger travelling on a stretcher must be accompanied by two medical escorts travelling in the same cabin.
Only the stretcher and oxygen supplement are provided by Qatar Airways on board. It is the responsibility of the passenger, treating doctor or hospital to arrange their own medical equipment (e.g. ventilator, incubator, BIPAP, CPAP, etc).
It is the responsibility of the passenger, treating doctor or hospital to arrange for an ambulance on departure and arrival, as well as provide the details of the ambulance to Qatar Airways at the time of booking.
If you need assistance with reaching your gate at the airport, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make the necessary arrangements to escort you to and from the aircraft. You can also request assistance during booking or anytime up to 48 hours before departure via 'Manage booking' on qatarairways.com or our mobile app. Alternatively, you can also contact your local Qatar Airways office.
On board, our cabin crew will offer all necessary assistance during the flight. The in-flight safety video displays subtitles in Arabic.
If you need assistance with reaching your gate at the airport, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make the necessary arrangements to escort you to and from the aircraft. You can also request assistance during booking or anytime up to 48 hours before departure via 'Manage booking' on qatarairways.com or our mobile app. Alternatively, you can also contact your local Qatar Airways office.
On board, our cabin crew will offer safety briefings and all necessary assistance during the flight. Braille Safety Cards are available on board for passengers who are visually impaired. The card is available in both English and Arabic.
Travel requirements for different conditions
Find out what to prepare before you fly based on your medical needs to ensure a smooth travel experience.
- Passengers with cognitive disabilities who need assistance at the airport and/or onboard must submit a medical certificate from a qualified doctor, stating that they are fit to travel with or without medications, and that they were born with their disability.
- The Medical Information Form (MEDIF) must be filled in if a passenger has an intellectual or developmental disability, or any other medical condition that is not physically apparent, such as autism, dementia, Alzheimer's or cognitive impairment.
- All documents, including the medical certificate and MEDIF, must be submitted at least 48 hours before departure.
- A passenger with an intellectual or developmental disability, who is unable to follow cabin crew instructions, must be accompanied by an escort.
- The Medical Information Form (MEDIF) does not need to be filled in if an asthmatic passenger:
- Is in a stable condition
- Does not need medical oxygen on the flight
- The MEDIF must be filled in if an asthmatic passenger:
- Had one or more asthma attacks resulting in hospitalisation within six months before the flight
- Needs medical oxygen on the flight
- Asthmatic passengers are reminded to carry any necessary medication.
- The Medical Information Form (MEDIF) does not need to be filled in if a controlled diabetic passenger is on insulin injections.
- The MEDIF must be filled in if a diabetic passenger is in an unstable condition or experiences complications.
- To meet their dietary requirements, diabetic passengers can select a Diabetic Meal (DBML) via ‘Manage booking’ at least 24 hours before departure.
- If necessary, diabetic passengers are reminded to take insulin injections or tablets to control their condition, as they could experience travel sickness or complications.
- If a diabetic passenger needs an insulin injection once or twice a day, it must be self-administered.
The Medical Information Form (MEDIF) does not need to be filled in if a passenger with a sitting fracture:
- Provides a medical certificate from a qualified doctor
- Can use the lavatory on their own regardless of flight duration
- Can sit in an Economy Class seat without extra legroom
- Has been wearing their plaster cast for at least 48 hours
Any plaster cast applied within 48 hours of flight departure must be bivalved. This means that the cast is split in half by cuts made on opposite sides to release pressure or allow removal and reapplication.
The MEDIF must be filled in if the passenger is wearing either of the following:
- A full leg cast that covers their knee, in which case they will only be accepted for travel in Business Class
- Casts on both legs, regardless of whether the casts cover their knees
- Form must be filled in English.
- Submit the form to Qatar Airways no less than 48 hours and no more than 7 days before flight departure.
- If no new MEDIF is required for the return flight, this will be indicated within 'Part 2' of the form as 'Approved (full journey)'.
If you must submit a Medical Information Form (MEDIF), please ensure you also download the medical certificate and have it completed by your doctor.
This facilitation plan outlines the information needed for passengers with disabilities or special needs to travel safely and comfortably. The facilitation plan applies to Qatar Airways' operations in Australia.
We are committed to properly accommodate passengers with disabilities and other special needs.
Qatar Airways staff is trained to be mindful of the needs and requirements of passengers who require additional assistance, including individuals with disabilities and unaccompanied minors. We ensure that passengers are not discriminated against on the basis of disability. In the event of a lengthy tarmac delay at a U.S. airport, our flight crew will make every effort to properly take care of passengers with disabilities or special needs.
Passengers can obtain a copy of the regulations regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in air travel, in an accessible format from the Department of Transportation through the following means:
- For calls made from within the U.S., by telephone via the Toll-Free Hotline for Air Travelers with Disabilities at 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY)
- By telephone to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 202-366-2220 (voice) or 202-366-0511 (TTY)
- By mail to the Air Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W96-432, Washington, DC 20590, and
- On the Aviation Consumer Protection Division's Web site (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov). You are now exiting Qatar Airways U.S. website. Linked content may not meet accessibility guidelines).
Qatar Airways is committed to ensuring that our passengers with disabilities have equal access to our facilities and services. If you have a disability-related service concern during travel, you may ask to speak to a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO). A CRO is a specially trained employee available at each U.S. airport location we serve, available during our operating hours, who can answer your questions and ensure compliance with Department of Transportation Rule 14 CFR Part 382 and Qatar Airways policies. If you have a disability-related question prior to your travel with Qatar Airways or after your travel is completed, you can contact Qatar Airways at +1-833-607-2675 (TTY) within the U.S. or elsewhere.
Travelling with our partners?
If your journey includes a flight with one of our partners, please find more information here: