Travelling with a mobility aid (or any other assistive device) can make your journey seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. We have listed all information to help you on your way and prepare accordingly for your trip.
How many mobility aids can I carry with me?
You may bring a maximum of 2 mobility aids with you. This is free of charge and on top of your free baggage allowance:
2 wheelchairs or rollators
2 pairs of crutches, braces or other prosthetic devices*
2 walking canes
A combination of the above (e.g. 1 wheelchair and 1 walking cane)
* When travelling with prosthetic devices, you should always let us know in advance.
Can I take my mobility aid on board?
Crutches, walking canes and prosthetics are allowed on board and do not need to be transported in the hold.
Is it hard for you to walk long distances? Consider requesting special assistance at the airport. Our staff will arrange a wheelchair or cart to bring you to your departure gate. The same service will be offered in between connecting flights and upon arrival at your destination airport.
Passengers who need to be transported on a stretcher will require a medical escort provided by the passenger or the passenger's insurance company.
Due to their size, wheelchairs, rollators and other similar mobility aids can only be transported in the hold. This service is free of charge, but we need the dimensions to plan the space in the hold. Contact our medical assistance team well in advance with the exact dimensions.
You can hand over your mobility aid at the check-in desk and have a wheelchair or cart arranged to bring you to your departure gate, or you can use your mobility aid up until the gate, where the airport staff will store it in the aircraft hold.
Upon arrival, your mobility aid will be returned to you at the arrival gate or at the baggage belt. In the latter case, the airport’s special assistance team will transport you by wheelchair or cart to the baggage belt.
Good to know
In general, passengers can fly with a plaster cast. We recommend travelling with a certificate from your doctor to prove that you’re fit to fly. If your plaster cast was put on under 48 hours before your departure, it might be split open to avoid impending blood circulation. More info
Our cabin crew will assist you as much as they can with the following:
support during boarding and disembarking
opening packages of meals
There are certain things the crew are not allowed to do, such as:
provide assistance in the toilet
lift or carry you
assist you with meals
administer medication or supervise the taking of medication
For safety reasons, crew members are not authorised to carry or lift passengers between the passenger seat and a wheelchair or to assist passengers during a visit to the lavatory.
Passengers with reduced mobility should also bear in mind that the toilets in an aircraft are generally quite small.
Depending on the battery type of your battery-powered device, different guidelines apply.
Don’t know the battery type of your device? You can send photos of your mobility device and the battery labels via meda@brusselsairlines.com.
Gel-cell / Dry-cell / non-spillable wet batteries
Foldable/collapsible wheelchair: The battery must be removed, protected from short circuits and transported in the hold in a strong, rigid packaging.
Non-foldable/non-collapsible wheelchair: The battery may remain in your wheelchair, as long as the electrical circuits have been isolated and the battery is securely attached to your wheelchair.
Lithium batteries
Foldable/collapsible wheelchair: The battery must be removed, protected from short circuits, and placed in a protective pouch. The removed battery may not exceed 300Wh (or for a wheelchair that needs 2 batteries to operate, each battery may not exceed 160Wh).
Non-foldable/non-collapsible wheelchair: The battery may remain in your wheelchair, as long as the electrical circuits have been isolated and the battery is securely attached to your wheelchair.
Wet or spillable batteries
If the wheelchair can be loaded, stowed and unloaded in an upright position, the battery may stay in the wheelchair as long as:
The battery terminals are protected from short circuiting
The battery is fitted, where feasible, with spill-resistant vent caps
The battery is securely attached to the wheelchair
Electrical circuits have been isolated per the manufacturer's instructions
The wheelchair with batteries is secured with straps, tie-downs or other restraints against movement.
If the wheelchair cannot be loaded, stowed and unloaded in an upright position:
The battery must be removed and shipped as cargo
The wheelchair itself can be transported as checked baggage