Before you leave

To help ensure that your flight with Emirates is as safe and comfortable as possible, please review the information below for passengers and medical practitioners.

A few practical suggestions

• Make sure you get travel insurance that provides sufficient cover for treatment and repatriation, particularly for adventure holidays, skiing and diving trips.
• Plan to pack well. 2 lighter suitcases are better than 1 very heavy one as it may cause muscle injuries. Some countries have safety limits on what luggage handlers may transport.
• Carry your regular medications in your hand luggage making sure you carry your prescriptions with you and a letter from your family doctor stating that you are on the medications for medical reasons. This is to avoid problems at the customs.
• Check that there are no import restrictions on your particular medications in the country you are visiting (eg, codeine when entering the UAE or Lomotil when visiting Japan).
• Plan to get a good night’s sleep prior to your flight as this has been shown to help to reduce stress and problems with jet lag.
• Wear comfortable and appropriate clothing for the flight and your destination
• Arrive at the airport with sufficient time to check in and go through immigration. Emirates closes the boarding gate 15 minutes before the scheduled departure to ensure flights leave on time.

Immunisations

Although most travellers have already had vaccinations as children, they may still require boosters or new immunisations. Consult your doctor 4-6 weeks prior to travel (or shorter, if you are travelling on short notice) to see if you will need any vaccinations, or use our vaccination requirements finder for your itinerary. Remember to bring a copy of your vaccination records on your trip.

Travelling while pregnant

If you are pregnant and plan to travel once you have entered your 29th week of pregnancy, a medical certificate or letter signed by an appropriately qualified doctor or midwife is required, stating:

• the confirmation of a singleton or multiple pregnancy 
• the pregnancy is progressing without complications 
• the estimated date of delivery
• that you are in good health 
• that there is no reason known to them that would prevent you from flying

Please note that for your safety, if you choose not to carry a medical certificate, Emirates reserves the right, under certain circumstances, to refuse boarding.

If yours is a multiple pregnancy, no air travel is permitted after the 32nd week of gestation. For single pregnancies, travel after the 36th week of gestation will be permitted only after prior clearance is granted by the Emirates medical department. A medical information form (MEDIF) will need to be submitted for clearance purposes.

Thought should be given to whether the medical facilities at your destination country are adequate to cope with any problems which may arise. Sufficient travel insurance is strongly recommended in case of preterm labour abroad. It is wise to avoid travelling to remote locations whilst pregnant.

Heavy lifting during pregnancy should be avoided, so take care with your baggage.

As with normal travellers, if you require medications during your pregnancy, ensure that you have an adequate supply for the journey. Please remember that certain medications, such as certain types of anti-malarial medications and vaccinations, cannot be used in pregnancy. If the destination country requires such prophylactic measures, it is better to postpone the journey until after your delivery.

Download a standard medical certificate for pregnant passengers (PDF)

Travelling with newborn babies

Air travel within the first 7 days of birth is not permitted except when travelling for emergency medical treatment with an approved Medical Information for Fitness to Travel or Special Assistance (MEDIF) form.

Medical conditions

If you have a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, epilepsy, or any other chronic disease, here are some steps you can take to remain healthy on your travels.

• See your doctor at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to travel. Your doctor should make sure your conditions are well controlled and that any required prescriptions are up to date.
• Ask your doctor for a letter describing any medical conditions you have and the usual treatments, including specific medications and dosages.
• Bring adequate supplies of your usual medications and carry them in your hand luggage. Please note that we cannot refrigerate medicine for you. Please ensure that you arrange for any such medicines to be kept cool, either in a cool bag or vacuum flask.
• Make sure your immunisations are up to date and carry your immunisation card with you.
• Check your health insurance coverage to ensure you are covered for international travel, including repatriation costs.

Passengers with special needs

Many people with disabilities can safely and comfortably travel with us. In order to adequately cater to your needs, please let your booking agent know the level of your disability and what kind of assistance you would like us to provide before, during, or after your flight. Passengers are requested to notify Emirates of any special needs or requirements at the time of booking, or no later than 48 hours prior to their flight.

Blind or visually impaired passengers

Passengers who are blind or visually impaired may usually bring a cane or other assistive/supportive device with them into the cabin after checking with airport security. The cane will however need to be stowed under your seat or in the overhead compartment prior to takeoff and landing. The cane needs to lie flat on the floor and should not block the emergency exit or protrude into the aisle.

Deaf or hearing impaired passengers

Please inform our reservations department if you are deaf or hearing impaired so that we can provide assistance to you in the event that your flight is delayed or if the departure gate is changed after you have checked in. Emirates headphones are compatible with most hearing aids when switched to the ‘T’ position.

Speech impaired passengers

Passengers with speech impairment may wish to identify themselves to us via the reservations department whilst making their travel plans. Should assistance be required at check-in or with boarding, please notify our reservations office 72 hours prior to departure so that arrangements can be made.

Cognitive and developmental disabilities

Emirates will be happy to provide assistance to passengers who require guidance within the airport areas and arrangements should be made for such services with our Reservations office 72 hours prior to departure. Whilst our airport customer service representatives are able to provide a meet and assist service, it is not possible for us to arrange for passengers to be attended to at all times. Passengers in need of continuous assistance or personal care should arrange their own escort. Emirates will not assume responsibility for providing on board assistance which might contravene health, safety or hygiene requirements.

Passengers requiring escorts

For safety reasons, Emirates requires a passenger to travel with an escort or attendant if the passenger:

• needs to travel in a stretcher or incubator, or requires medical attention during the flight. (The escort must be able to attend to their personal and medical needs.)
• is unable to comprehend or respond properly to safety instructions due to a mental disability.
• is unable to assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft.
• has severe hearing and vision impairments and cannot establish some means of communication with airline employees.

Download an information sheet for medical escorts (PDF)

Medical Information for Fitness to Travel (MEDIF) form

A MEDIF Form should be completed by you and your doctor if you have had a recent illness, injury, surgery or hospitalisation. The form may be required of passengers who require special services such as:

• Oxygen supply
• Stretcher
• Medical escort or inflight medical treatment
• Carriage of medical equipment or instruments.

Your doctor’s portion of the MEDIF form should be completed based on an assessment of your condition no more than 14 days prior to air travel. Emirates must be notified immediately of any change in your condition prior to travel. The MEDIF form must be submitted at least 48 hours before departure.

Download a MEDIF form now (PDF)

Frequent Travellers Medical Card (FREMEC)

In order to make travelling easier for passengers with a stable medical condition, disability, or special needs, Emirates now offers the Frequent Travellers Medical Card (FREMEC). This card describes your special needs and helps you avoid the necessity to obtain medical clearance for each journey. The FREMEC is available for adults or children and is valid for 5 years from the date of issue, on the condition that Emirates is notified immediately of any change in your medical condition.

For more information on the conditions and how to obtain a FREMEC, contact your travel agent or the nearest Emirates Office.

Assistance for passengers with restricted mobility

• Wheelchairs at the airport: Emirates can arrange for wheelchair transport from check-in to the boarding gate or from the aircraft to the arrivals hall at your destination. Please let us know at least a day in advance of travel if you desire this service—preferably at the time of booking.
• Travelling with your own wheelchair: We are able to carry your wheelchair or mobility equipment on the flight. However, there are some restrictions on size and weight that you should discuss with your booking agent at the time of booking. If space is available, we will store collapsible wheelchairs and mobility aids in the aircraft cabin. If we cannot do this, they will be carried in the hold. All wheelchairs and mobility equipment are carried free of charge and do not count against the standard baggage allowance.
• If you have a battery-powered wheelchair, you will need to take certain safeguards before you travel. Please ask for details when you make your booking.
• Visually Impaired or Hearing Impaired Passengers: If you require meet-and-assist service, or if you need to be guided to or from the aircraft, please notify the booking agent and complete a MEDIF form or provide a medical certificate.

Information for Medical Practitioners

Factors to be considered when assessing a patient’s fitness for air travel and completing a MEDIF form include:

• Reduced atmospheric pressure (cabin air pressure changes greatly during 15-30 minutes after takeoff and before landing and gas expansion and contraction can cause pain and pressure effects)
• Reduction in oxygen tension. (The cabin is at a pressure equivalent to an altitude of 6,000 to 8,000 feet and oxygen partial pressure is approximately 20% less than on the ground.)

Any medical condition that would cause a passenger to be unable to complete the flight safely or evacuate the plane in an emergency without significant medical assistance inflight is considered unacceptable for air travel. Although Emirates will consider each individual case on its merits, conditions generally considered unacceptable for air travel include:

• Severe anaemia
• Severe cases of Otitis Media and Sinusitis
• Acute, Contagious or Communicable Disease
• Congestive Cardiac Failure or other cyanotic conditions not fully controlled.
• Recent Myocardial Infarction (MI) (within 2 weeks of onset for Uncomplicated MI or 6 weeks for complicated MI)
• Severe respiratory disease or recent pneumothorax
• Gastrointestinal lesions that may cause haematemesis, melaena, or intestinal obstruction.
• Certain recent surgeries (within 10 days for simple abdominal operations and within 21 days for chest or invasive, non-laser eye surgery)
• Fractures of the mandible with fixed wiring of the jaw (unless travelling with professional medical escort)
• Unstable mental illness (unless travelling with professional medical escort and under suitable medication for the journey)
• Uncontrolled seizures (unless travelling with professional medical escort)
• Recent introduction of air into body cavities for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes (within 7 days)

Notes on other specific patient conditions:

• Allergies: A MEDIF form must be completed if your patient has a life-threatening food allergy that may require inflight treatment, particularly if the patient may react to the presence of food traces in the air. Please note that Emirates cannot guarantee peanut-free meals.
• Asthma: Medication must be carried in cabin baggage. Nebulisers must have their own power source. Spacer devices used with an inhaler are an effective onboard alternative.
• Fractures: Casts must be at least 48 hours old before the commencement of the passenger's journey. Extra legroom for leg elevation is not possible in Economy class; however, an aisle seat can be reserved. Please state whether the injury is on the patient’s left or right side.
  
  New long-bone fractures and full leg casts (i.e. including the knee): Passengers require a completed MEDIF form. Passengers travelling with a full leg cast will be unable to sit properly in an Economy Class seat and will therefore only be accepted onto the flight in Business Class. A Business Class ticket will have to be purchased accordingly. If the injury is fresh (less than 48 hours old), swelling could occur during a long flight and the plaster should therefore be split.

• Lung or Heart Disease: Cardiopulmonary disease which causes dyspnoea on walking more than 100 metres on level ground, or has required oxygen in hospital or at home (or inflight previously) may require supplementary oxygen. The aircraft oxygen is for emergency use only. Serious cardiopulmonary cases as well as those requesting continuous oxygen, stretcher, or incubator should enclose a recent detailed medical report with the medical certificate. (A copy of a specialist or hospital referral would generally be sufficient).
• Physical Disabilities: There is no need to complete the MEDIF form if the patient simply requires a wheelchair as far as the aircraft door. Civil Aviation Rules require, however, that all passengers be able to use the aircraft seat with the seatback in the upright position.
• Terminal Illness: Passengers in the advanced stages of terminal illness will normally require a medical or nursing escort.
• Inflight care: Emirates cabin crew are trained only in first aid, and we do not provide nursing attendants for invalid passengers.
• Escorts: should ensure that they have all appropriate items for the proper care of their patient, and are responsible for attending to all aspects of their patient’s bodily needs. Due to food handling regulations, Cabin Staff cannot assist with these needs.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA) has launched a guideline for physicians to assess fitness for flying for their patients.

Download the PDF.

Oxygen Information

Emirates can provide constant-flow oxygen on board if needed. 

Please fill in a MEDIF form (below) before you fly to request supplementary oxygen for your flight.

You may also carry your own Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) for use in the cabin in all classes.Please note that this is subject to special conditions and a special booking procedure is required. You should contact your local Emirates office well in advance of travel to arrange this.

Download a MEDIF form now (PDF)

CPAP and PAP devices for sleep apnea

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and PAP (Positive Airway Pressure) sleep apnea devices are not permitted to be used onboard Emirates flights. However they may be carried as checked baggage provided they conform to the IATA dangerous goods regulations, particularly with regards to batteries.

Traveller’s Medical Kit

The following is a list of handy medical items to consider carrying with you on your travels. You can individualise this list based on your itinerary, your planned activities, and your medical history. Ready-made kits are also available from pharmacies and travel clinics.

• Your regular medications (Remember, any medications carried overseas should be accompanied by a covering letter from a medical practitioner)
• Vaccination certificate
• Travel Insurance with medical cover
• Digital thermometer
• Analgesics (paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen)
• Antacids
• Topical antiseptic/antibiotic
• Antihistamines
• Dressings and adhesive bandages
• Mosquito repellent
• Malaria tablets, if prescribed
• Sunscreen
• Oral rehydration preparation