All airlines Europe
IBERIA
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.
- PhoneSpain — Serviberia Customer Service Centre (free within Spain)Monday to Sunday 00:00–24:00, Spanish and English
- PhoneSpain — Customer Service Centre (local rate, no surcharge)Monday to Sunday 00:00–24:00, Spanish and English
- PhoneUSA — Customer Service Centre (assistance requests, printed on the accessibility pages)24 hours a day, every day of the week (English and Spanish)
- Online form
- Online form
- Relay / text+34 676 676 004 — general Iberia WhatsApp channel published in the site footer, not an accessibility-only lineWhatsApp (Iberia, Spain number)
Iberia publishes a dedicated accessibility enquiry form at necesidades-especiales.iberia.com but no accessibility email address and no accessibility-only phone line — the general Customer Service Centre handles requests. Damage claims go through the general claims page at https://www.iberia.com/us/claims-receipts/. No Complaints Resolution Official (CRO) page was found on iberia.com despite Iberia serving the USA. Under EU Regulation 1107/2006 the ground assistance itself is delivered by the airport operator (AENA in Spain), not by Iberia.
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.
"If your wheelchair is electric, you can travel with it provided it meets the safety requirements regarding the wheelchair batteries." Iberia refuses a mobility aid if its weight exceeds the cargo capacity of small aircraft (e.g. Iberia Regional Air Nostrum) or raises operational safety issues, or "if the involuntary operation of an electric mobility aid cannot be disconnected". On Volaris codeshare flights in Mexico, wet-battery and lithium wheelchairs are not accepted at all.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Iberia's published wheelchair acceptance rules cover dry-cell and wet-cell batteries only. The single mention of lithium chairs is an exclusion: "On Volaris flights, with which we operate a codeshare agreement in Mexico, wet battery or lithium wheelchairs are not accepted." No acceptance terms for lithium wheelchairs on Iberia-operated flights are published — ask before booking.
Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No watt-hour limit for a wheelchair battery is published anywhere on iberia.com. Iberia's 160 Wh device cap is on its Electronic devices page and applies to laptops, drones, cameras and similar equipment, not to mobility aids.
Electronic devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published. Iberia gives no rule for removing a lithium wheelchair battery into the cabin and no watt-hour cap for one.
No spare-battery watt-hour limit for wheelchairs is published. The general (non-wheelchair) rule allows 4 spare batteries up to 100 Wh and 2 between 100 and 160 Wh per passenger, in hand luggage only.
Electronic devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No number of spare wheelchair batteries is published. Iberia's general battery page permits 4 spares of up to 100 Wh plus 2 of 100–160 Wh in the cabin, but it does not present that as the mobility-aid rule.
Electronic devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not for a dry-cell battery — that stays secured on the chair, disconnected, with insulated terminals. For a wet (spillable) battery, removal is required only if the chair cannot be loaded, stowed, secured and unloaded in an upright position. No removal rule is published for lithium batteries.
Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Dry-cell (non-spillable) battery chairs: "their terminals must be insulated to avoid possible short circuits, and the accumulator must be properly secured to the wheelchair and disconnected". The chair must have a mechanism for deactivating the battery.
Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted on Iberia-operated flights: the chair must be loadable, stowable, securable and unloadable upright with the battery disconnected, secured and its terminals insulated; if that is not possible the battery is removed and packed in watertight, electrolyte-proof material, kept vertical, protected against violent movement and short circuits and surrounded by absorbent material. CODESHARE EXCLUSION: "On Volaris flights, with which we operate a codeshare agreement in Mexico, wet battery or lithium wheelchairs are not accepted."
Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Battery terminals must be insulated to prevent short circuits and the battery must be disconnected and properly secured to the wheelchair. At check-in you must supply "instructions to prevent accidental operation"; a chair whose involuntary operation cannot be disconnected is not accepted.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
At check-in you must give staff: the type of wheelchair or mobility aid, its dimensions, its weight, the number of batteries installed, the battery type, and instructions to prevent accidental operation. Iberia suggests filling in its Wheelchair Information Form (Spanish and English only), printing it and attaching it to the chair, and giving agents a copy of the manufacturer's instructions to help with disassembly and reassembly.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Iberia publishes no maximum size for an electric wheelchair and no hold or cargo-door dimensions; it asks for the chair's dimensions at check-in instead.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit is published; carriage is refused only where the weight exceeds the cargo capacity of a small aircraft such as those operated by Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, or where it raises operational safety issues.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"We'll bring your wheelchair to the aircraft door, if operations allow. And if necessary, an assistant will escort you to the baggage reclaim area." At the boarding gate Iberia agents prioritise boarding for wheelchair users.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Come to check-in well in advance so staff have time to organise disassembly and reassembly of an electric chair. Exclusions to watch: Volaris-operated codeshare flights in Mexico do not accept wet-battery or lithium wheelchairs; Vueling and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum apply their own rules; and the Czech authorities require an electric wheelchair to be handed over at check-in, with a manual chair loaned for the airport.
Manual wheelchairs
"If your wheelchair is manual, you can travel with it without needing any technical checks." Manually operated wheelchairs and similar mobility devices (walkers, crutches) are carried free of charge.
Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not routine. "On some long-haul flights, we can carry them in the cabin, subject to availability" and "On certain flights (generally those that last longer than five hours), we can carry a folding wheelchair on board, although — to do this — you must advise us of the characteristics, dimensions and weight of the wheelchair in advance."
Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No in-cabin stowage dimensions are published; Iberia asks for the folding chair's characteristics, dimensions and weight in advance and decides case by case on flights over about five hours.
Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Iberia publishes no maximum wheelchair dimensions and no cargo-hold or door sizes; it asks you to declare the chair's dimensions and weight at check-in so staff can confirm it will travel safely in the hold.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight figure is published. Iberia says only that a wheelchair cannot be carried "if the weight exceeds the cargo capacity of small aircraft (e.g. on flights operated by Iberia Regional Air Nostrum) or represents operational safety issues".
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"If you have a manual wheelchair, you may keep it up to the boarding gate, where it will be collected and put in the hold for return to you when you disembark from your flight at your destination." On arrival: "We'll bring your wheelchair to the aircraft door, if operations allow", otherwise an assistant escorts you to baggage reclaim.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Label the chair with your contact details. Iberia "will only remove removable parts from the wheelchair if you give us permission in the written instructions". Iberia suggests filling in its Wheelchair Information Form (Spanish and English only), printing it and attaching it to the chair.
Booking & cost
"You must request assistance at least 48 hours before the departure of your flight." Outside that window assistance is subject to the resources available at the time. Iberia also asks you to reach the airport 2 hours before departure and to leave at least 2 h 30 min between connecting flights.
How to book assistance at the airport (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Three routes: at purchase on iberia.com (Passenger information page, 'Special needs passenger'); afterwards via Manage your booking > Passengers > Special needs; or at any time through the Customer Service Centre. If every flight of the trip is operated by the Iberia Group (Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum) the assistance is booked automatically on all legs; for Iberia-coded flights operated by another airline you must check that airline's rules.
How to book assistance at the airport (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Passengers with reduced mobility may transport two pieces of mobility equipment (wheelchairs, walkers or other orthopaedic devices) free of charge", in addition to the baggage allowance. "People with reduced mobility may not be charged for transporting basic items to facilitate their mobility or any other essential aids in the case of disability."
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Up to two pieces of mobility equipment (wheelchair, walker, crutches, other orthopaedic devices) are checked free of charge and outside the baggage allowance. Medication and vital medical equipment may additionally travel in one extra bag of up to 23 kg.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Iberia publishes no mobility-aid-specific damage or liability rule — no ACAA full-value statement, no Montreal Convention figure, no special-declaration procedure — on its accessibility, wheelchair or special-baggage pages. Damage is handled through the general claims page (iberia.com/us/claims-receipts/).
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessibility — Contact us (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
"On-board wheelchair to facilitate mobility on the aircraft. Available on all Iberia aircraft and upon request on Iberia Express." The guide adds the qualifier "whenever the dimensions of the aircraft allow".
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Accessible toilets, on long-haul flights. Ask our crew for the locations and request that they accompany you to and from your seat if needed." Nothing is published about short-haul aircraft.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Crew provide assistance from the seat to the toilet door and back and help locate seats and fold back armrests; the airport agent takes you through check-in, security and, on request, to your seat, and collects you after landing. Crew cannot help with breathing devices, meals or administering medication. Under EU Regulation 1107/2006 the ground assistance is provided by the airport operator (AENA in Spain), not by Iberia.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 How to book assistance at the airport (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Seats with folding armrests located in the aisles." Crew will help locate seats and fold back the armrests. If you cannot reach an emergency exit, communicate with crew about safety, fasten your seat belt, meet basic physiological needs or fit a life jacket or oxygen mask unaided, Iberia requires a companion aged 18 or over.
Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 How to book assistance at the airport (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Iberia publishes no hold or cargo-door dimensions. Its only capacity statement is that a wheelchair or mobility aid cannot be carried if its weight exceeds the cargo capacity of small aircraft — it names flights operated by Iberia Regional Air Nostrum — or if it represents operational safety issues.
Worth knowing
Both the English (/us/) and Spanish (/es/) Iberia sites were read; the content is the same and the Spanish pages add only the Spanish contact numbers (900 111 500, +34 91 333 67 01) and the WhatsApp line, so language_of_source is 'en'. The important gap: Iberia publishes NO watt-hour limit and no removal or spare rule for lithium wheelchair batteries anywhere on its site. Its acceptance rules cover dry-cell and wet-cell batteries only, and its single reference to lithium chairs is the Volaris-codeshare exclusion; the 160 Wh figure on iberia.com is the general electronic-device cap and has deliberately not been imported here. The battery-type detail on the accessibility page sits behind a JavaScript modal that neither the direct fetch nor the reader proxy returns; the equivalent text was found in the Accessible Iberia PDF and on Iberia's travel-agency site. Also unfound: any Complaints Resolution Official page, despite Iberia flying to the USA, and any mobility-aid damage-liability statement.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Travelling by air with a wheelchair or other mobility equipment (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 How to book assistance at the airport (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Cómo solicitar asistencia (Spanish edition, with Spanish contact numbers) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Accessible Iberia — Travelling without barriers (PDF guide) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Special baggage — Wheelchair acceptance and battery requirements (Iberia travel-agency site) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 FAQs — Passengers with special needs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 Accessibility — Contact us (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s8 Electronic devices and batteries (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 8 official sources · 6 contacts · 60% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.