Travel health and safety
Before you fly
Air travel is generally one of the safest and most convenient methods of reaching a destination. However, when it comes to certain health and medical conditions, a little forward planning can often make the journey more comfortable, both during and after the flight.
Am I fit to travel?
Most people are fit to travel by air, but special attention is required for passengers whose medical conditions may be exacerbated by altitude, hypoxia, travel stress, carrying luggage, changing climates, and food, as well as other travel-related difficulties.
All passengers should ensure they are medically fit prior to embarking on air travel. We strongly recommend that you consult your own doctor or an aerospace medical specialist if you have any concerns about your fitness for travel.
Some passengers may require medical clearance from our Aviation Medicine Unit to help us ensure their health, safety, and comfort inflight and facilitate the provision of any special assistance that may be required during the journey. Medical clearance to fly may be required when:
- a passenger’s fitness to travel is in doubt as a result of recent illness, hospitalisation, injury, or surgery.
- a passenger has an existing medical condition where there is reasonable doubt that they can complete the flight safely, without requiring extraordinary medical assistance during the flight, e.g. breathing difficulties, unstable angina, terminal illness, etc.
- special services, such as oxygen or the use of medical equipment on board is required.
Although most passengers may have already had vaccinations as children, boosters or new immunisations may be required depending on the destination. You can find out more about vaccination requirements for different countries at the IATA website.
It is recommended that you consult your doctor or local travel health clinic 4-6 weeks prior to travel to get appropriate advice on health precautions to take and immunisations required for the places you will be visiting. Make sure you carry all immunisation certificates in your cabin baggage together with your travel documents.