wheelair

All airlines Asia Pacific

Air India Express

IATA IX ICAO AXB India · www.airindiaexpress.com (opens in a new tab)

Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 48 h notice.

Advance notice
48hours before departure
Powered wheelchair
Conditional
Lithium, battery installed
Not published
Cost to carry
Free

Who to contact

Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.

Air India Express publishes no dedicated accessibility phone line or e-mail address; wheelchair requests go through Manage Booking, web check-in, a travel agent, or the 'Tia' chatbot on WhatsApp/Messenger, and everything else through the 24x7 Global Contact Centre. Only Indian numbers are published — no Gulf, Singapore or Thailand accessibility lines, despite the international network. Air India Express does not serve the USA and publishes no DOT Complaints Resolution Official page. Air India Express Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India Limited, but publishes its own Conditions of Carriage and its own mobility-device rules; nothing here is taken from airindia.com.

Read it from the source

Powered wheelchairs & batteries

The part that goes wrong. Battery chemistry and watt-hours decide whether your chair flies, and the rules differ depending on whether the battery can be removed.

Powered chairs accepted
Conditional

Conditions of Carriage IX(e)(ii): 'We accept mobility devices (only non-spillable battery-powered mobility devices) on our flights'; passengers must contact AIXL at least 48 h ahead and 'Failure to notify us may result in refusal of the carriage of the mobility device(s).' X(g)(iv): electric wheelchairs with lithium or non-spillable batteries 'shall be accepted for carriage as Checked Baggage subject to conditions. Passenger needs to seek prior approval from AIXL for the carriage.' A chair that will not fit the cargo door must be shipped separately as freight.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Lithium-ion batteries
Yes

Accepted, but the battery is taken out: 'We will remove the batteries at the check-in counter and you will carry the batteries in an appropriate manufacturer-issued battery pouch to the cabin so that the Wheelchair can be accepted. The removed batteries must be carried in cabin baggage by our guests.' A battery is refused if it is 'leaking, cracked, ruptured, dead, or damaged' or if the battery mark, label or user manual is not in English.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Watt-hour cap — battery stays in the chair
Not published

No separate allowance is published for a lithium battery left installed in the chair — Air India Express states it removes the battery at the check-in counter, so its single 300 Wh cap is recorded under the removed-battery field. One sentence in the same FAQ contradicts this: 'At check-in, the battery will remain attached to the wheelchair/mobility device and the wheelchair/mobility device with the attached battery must be handed in at the check-in counter to be transported as check-in baggage.' Confirm with the airline before travelling.

Watt-hour cap — battery removed into the cabin
300 Wh

FAQ: 'The power rating of the lithium-ion battery must not exceed 300 Wh. For a device fitted with two batteries for operation, the power rating of each lithium-ion battery must not exceed 160 Wh.' The battery is removed at the check-in counter and must be carried in the cabin in a manufacturer-issued battery pouch.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Watt-hour cap — spare battery
300 Wh

FAQ: 'A maximum of one spare lithium battery not exceeding 300 Wh, or two spares each not exceeding 160 Wh, may be carried in the passenger cabin of the aircraft in an appropriate manufacturer-issued battery pouch.'

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Spare batteries permittedmaximum number under any published configuration
2

Maximum of two: 'A maximum of one spare lithium battery not exceeding 300 Wh, or two spares each not exceeding 160 Wh, may be carried in the passenger cabin of the aircraft in an appropriate manufacturer-issued battery pouch.' Two are permitted only if each is 160 Wh or under. The general 20-battery / 100 Wh spare rule in Conditions of Carriage X(g)(ix) is a portable-electronics rule and is not applied here.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Battery must be removed
Yes

Lithium-ion: 'We will remove the batteries at the check-in counter and you will carry the batteries in an appropriate manufacturer-issued battery pouch to the cabin so that the Wheelchair can be accepted. The removed batteries must be carried in cabin baggage by our guests.' Non-spillable wet: removal only where the battery is collapsible/removable; a non-removable one may stay attached with terminals enclosed in the manufacturer's container and circuits inhibited. The same page contradicts itself, saying the battery 'will remain attached' at check-in.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Non-spillable batteriesgel, AGM, sealed lead-acid, dry cell
Yes

FAQ, non-spillable 'wet' batteries: for a non-collapsible/non-removable battery 'We shall accept only after ensuring the battery terminals are protected from short circuits by being enclosed in a battery container provided by the manufacturer. We will ensure the battery is securely attached to the wheelchair or mobility device and electrical circuits are inhibited.' For a collapsible/removable battery 'We will ensure batteries are removed and the wheelchair/mobility device can be carried as checked baggage without restriction', the battery going into strong rigid manufacturer packaging.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Wet / spillable batteries
No

Conditions of Carriage X(g)(iv): 'Wheelchairs powered by spillable (wet-cell) battery(ies) shall not be accepted since these batteries have corrosive acids and are considered to be dangerous goods.' IX(e)(ii) likewise accepts 'only non-spillable battery-powered mobility devices'.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Terminal protection & immobilisation
Yes

Non-removable non-spillable batteries are accepted 'only after ensuring the battery terminals are protected from short circuits by being enclosed in a battery container provided by the manufacturer', securely attached with 'electrical circuits are inhibited'. Removed batteries must travel 'in a strong, rigid packaging provided by the manufacturer so that it's protected from short circuits'; removed lithium batteries go into a manufacturer-issued battery pouch in the cabin.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Paperwork the airline wants
Yes

FAQ: 'To assist our staff with processing your battery-powered wheelchair/mobility device, you must carry: The test document that shows the lithium-ion battery meets the requirements of subsection 38.3, part III of the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria' and 'An appropriate manufacturer-issued battery pouch' (the airline can supply a pouch). Also: 'A battery will not be accepted if the battery mark or the battery mark label or user manual is not in English. The label must be clearly visible.' Separately, a MEDA form is mandatory 48 h ahead for passengers with disabilities.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Size limit for a powered chairCargo-hold door opening — not a stated chair limit
140 cm long · 140 cm wide · 100 cm high

Cargo-door aperture, not a stated maximum chair size. Conditions of Carriage X(g)(iv) tells passengers to ship the device separately as freight 'if the mobility device (including battery powered wheelchairs) cannot fit through our aircraft cargo door (the dimensions of which are: 140 cm (length) x 140 cm (width) x 100 cm (height))'.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Weight limit for a powered chair
No stated limit

Exemption, not a stated ceiling. Conditions of Carriage X(g)(vi): 'For safety reasons the Carrier shall not accept any individual item exceeding 32 kilograms and with combined dimensions of more than 81 cm (height), 119 cm (width) and 119 cm (depth). This weight limit does not apply to mobility equipment (such as wheelchair).' No powered-wheelchair weight figure is published in its place; the binding constraint AIXL does publish is the cargo-door aperture, not weight.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published — Air India Express does not say whether a powered wheelchair is returned at the aircraft door or at the baggage belt.

Air India Express encourages powered-chair users to use the airline's own ground wheelchair: 'Mobility aids and devices with batteries (lithium-ion & non-lithium batteries): To ensure safe transport of the mobility devices we encourage our guests to avail of on-ground Wheelchair assistance from us.' Guests travelling with mobility aids must report at the check-in counter at least two hours before departure, even if they checked in online.

Manual wheelchairs

Manual chairs accepted
Yes

FAQ: 'Wheelchairs and mobility devices that have no battery (for e.g: canes, crutches and other types of walkers) are allowed on board as cabin baggage. You may continue to use your mobility aid/device up to the aircraft door/passenger steps after which it must be handed to our Ground Operations staff.' Conditions of Carriage X(g)(iv) carries wheelchairs, mobility devices and walking frames free of charge.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Folding chair may travel in the cabin
No

The chair itself is not stowed in the cabin. Answering 'Can I bring my wheelchair on board?': 'wheelchair/mobility devices that have no battery are allowed as unchecked baggage. You may continue to use your wheelchair up to the aircraft door/passenger steps after which it must be given to our staff to be loaded in the aircraft hold.' A separate FAQ's 'allowed on board as cabin baggage' line gives only canes, crutches and walkers as examples and leaves cabin-versus-hold acceptance to ground staff.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

In-cabin stowage limit
Not published

Not published — Air India Express gives no in-cabin stowage dimensions for a folding wheelchair, and states the wheelchair is loaded into the hold.

Size limit for a checked manual chairCargo-hold door opening — not a stated chair limit
140 cm long · 140 cm wide · 100 cm high

Cargo-door aperture, not a stated maximum chair size. Conditions of Carriage X(g)(iv): 'Passengers are advised to make prior arrangements for their mobility device to be shipped by freight/cargo separately if the mobility device (including battery powered wheelchairs) cannot fit through our aircraft cargo door (the dimensions of which are: 140 cm (length) x 140 cm (width) x 100 cm (height)), or cannot be carried on our aircraft due to any other local occupational health, safety and/or regulatory reasons.'

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Weight limit for a manual chair
No stated limit

Exemption, not a stated ceiling. Conditions of Carriage X(g)(vi): 'For safety reasons the Carrier shall not accept any individual item exceeding 32 kilograms and with combined dimensions of more than 81 cm (height), 119 cm (width) and 119 cm (depth). This weight limit does not apply to mobility equipment (such as wheelchair).' Mobility equipment is expressly exempt from the 32 kg cap; no substitute weight figure is published.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published for wheelchairs. Air India Express says only of baby strollers that they 'can either be made available at the bottom of the steps, outside the aircraft door, or at the baggage carousel' depending on the arrival airport; it makes no equivalent statement about returning a wheelchair at the aircraft door.

Air India Express caps how many severely disabled passengers each flight may carry: Conditions of Carriage IX(e)(i) — 'no more than four (4) quadriplegic Passengers per flight are allowed, or as otherwise provided in CARs', paraplegic numbers are at AIXL's sole discretion, and 'AIXL may, despite its best efforts to accommodate all such persons, deny bookings, if the maximum number of such persons on a particular flight has been reached'. Wheelchair provision is also 'subject to available inventory'.

Booking & cost

Advance notice requiredhours before scheduled departure
48h

Conditions of Carriage IX(e): 'Passengers with disabilities are mandatorily required to fill-up and submit the MEDA form at-least forty-eight hours prior to the scheduled time of departure.' Wheelchair service must be pre-booked 'at the time of Booking and at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled departure time', and battery-operated mobility devices must be notified 48 h ahead — 'Failure to notify us may result in refusal of the carriage of the mobility device(s).' A stretcher needs 72 h.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

How to request assistance
Add wheelchair assistance in Manage Booking, at booking, during web check-in, through a travel agent or via the Tia chatbot, at least 48 h before departure; submit the MEDA form 48 h ahead and report at the check-in counter 2 h before departure

FAQ: 'You can add wheelchair by visiting "Manage booking" on website, mobile app or by chating with Tia'; 'You may pre book Wheelchair Service at the time of booking or via Manage or while doing your web check-in on our website at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time... For health and safety reasons, guests in wheelchairs must check in at the airport.' Guests travelling with mobility aids must report at least two hours before departure.

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Charge for carrying the aid
No fee

Conditions of Carriage X(g)(iv): 'Baby buggies/prams, wheelchairs, mobility devices and walking frames: Such items are carried free of charge provided these items are used by Passengers in the course of travelling and have been notified to us as required by them.' The Special Guests FAQ adds: 'Our wheelchair services are absolutely free of cost.'

FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Mobility devices carried free
Not published

Not published — Air India Express does not state how many mobility devices a passenger may carry free.

If they damage your chair
Capped at INR 25,000 per passenger for checked baggage under the Carriage by Air Act, 1972, unless a special declaration is made at check-in; no special mobility-aid rule

Conditions of Carriage XIV(b)(i): 'For damage, loss, destruction and delay of the Checked-in Baggage, which took place on board the aircraft or during any period within which the Checked-in Baggage was in charge of or in custody of AIXL, AIXL's liability will be subject to maximum of INR 25000 per passenger, unless a special declaration is made by the Passenger, at the time of Check-in' (MoCA Notification S.O. 3129(E) of 22 August 2019). Wear and tear is excluded, and no enhanced mobility-aid liability is published.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

On board

On-board aisle chair
Not published

Not published — Air India Express does not say whether an on-board aisle chair is carried on its Boeing 737 fleet. The only lifting equipment mentioned is an ambulift, and only for stretcher passengers: 'Ambulift Facility will be provided by the airline on All Metro City Airports, however, it is subject to availability. For other airports, Manual Transportation will be provided.'

Accessible lavatory
Not published

Not published — no aircraft is described as having an accessible lavatory, and the airline gives no lavatory-assistance policy.

Crew help you transfer
Not published

Not published as such. Air India Express distinguishes 'Ambulatory' from 'Non Ambulatory' guests (the latter 'may/need to have a companion or an escort during travel') and lists what you must be able to do to travel unaccompanied: 'Fasten/unfasten the seat belt, support yourself, and reach an emergency exit unaided... Use the toilet. Feed yourself. Administer your own medicines'. It never states that staff will transfer a passenger between a wheelchair and the aircraft seat.

Seating & movable armrests
Yes

Conditions of Carriage IX(e)(vii): 'We will make reasonable seating accommodations for Passengers with specific requirements in accordance with Applicable Law... We will also make our best efforts to allocate you convenient Seats and provide you with all relevant and available assistive devices. We reserve the right to re-assign Seats at any time.' No movable-armrest or bulkhead specifics and no statement that the accessible seat is free of charge.

Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Fleet detail. Air India Express publishes a single fleet-wide cargo-door figure of 140 cm (length) x 140 cm (width) x 100 cm (height); a mobility device that will not fit through it must be shipped separately by freight/cargo. A separate general baggage rule refuses any individual item over 32 kg or larger than 81 cm (height) x 119 cm (width) x 119 cm (depth), but the airline states the weight part of that rule does not apply to mobility equipment.

Worth knowing

Air India Express carries wheelchairs, mobility devices and walking frames free of charge, exempts mobility equipment from its 32 kg per-item baggage limit, and publishes a clear lithium rule (device battery max 300 Wh, or 160 Wh each where two are fitted; one spare at 300 Wh or two at 160 Wh in the cabin). Four things a powered-chair user should check before booking. (1) The airline REMOVES the lithium battery at the check-in counter and hands it to you to carry in the cabin — but one sentence on the same FAQ page flatly contradicts that, saying the battery 'will remain attached to the wheelchair... to be transported as check-in baggage'. This contradiction is unresolved on the site. (2) A battery is refused if the battery mark, label or user manual is not in English, and you must carry the UN 38.3 Part III subsection 38.3 test document. (3) A chair that will not fit through the 140 x 140 x 100 cm cargo door must be shipped separately as freight at the passenger's own arrangement. (4) The MEDA form is mandatory for all passengers with disabilities 48 h before departure, and no more than four quadriplegic passengers are accepted per flight, with bookings refused once the cap is reached. Air India Express also refuses passengers who need medical oxygen in flight: 'We won't be able to accept guests requiring a continuous flow of oxygen during the flight. Oxygen supplies (cylinders/bottles), medical equipment or devices are not permitted onboard.' Damage liability is the Indian statutory checked-baggage cap of INR 25,000 per passenger unless a special declaration is made at check-in. Air India Express Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India Limited; nothing in this record is taken from airindia.com — every value comes from airindiaexpress.com's own Conditions of Carriage and Special Guests FAQ. The Special Guests FAQ page serves the same content under both its 'Domestic' and 'International' tabs.

Sources

Every figure above traces to one of these.

  1. s1 FAQ: Special Guests — wheelchairs, mobility devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  2. s2 Conditions of Carriage — Article IX(e) Carriage of Persons with Disabilities, Article X(g)(iv) mobility devices, Article XIV liability (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  3. s3 Support — Global Contact Centre numbers and chat channels (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  4. s4 Know Your Passenger Rights — grievance redressal, Nodal Officer and Appellate Authority (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  5. s5 FAQ: Baggage — smart baggage and cross-reference to the wheelchair FAQs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  6. s6 MEDA (medical information) form — PDF (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29

Record quality

Record status researched · confidence high · 6 official sources · 9 contacts · 79% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.