wheelair

All airlines Africa

Kenya Airways

IATA KQ ICAO KQA Kenya · SkyTeam · www.kenya-airways.com (opens in a new tab)

Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 96 h notice.

Advance notice
96hours 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.

KQ has no dedicated disability desk. The Reduced Mobility page routes wheelchair requests to the 24-hour Customer Excellence Center (tel, mobile, WhatsApp) or the online feedback form. +254 711 024 200 is published only for KQ Ezesha concession bookings. The Contact us page lists ~100 country offices, many run by GSAs (APG), all quoting the same global WhatsApp number. For airport ground transport KQ's Ezesha page points to a third-party partner, Accessible Travel Kenya (+254 724 215 977, +254 745 707 939, KQ@accessibletravel.co.ke), for wheelchair-accessible transfers at Nairobi JKIA with a 10% discount — that is not a KQ service.

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

Accepted, but not unconditionally: Baggage Allowance says "under special conditions or authorization, non-normal item, motorized wheelchairs, special sporting equipment may be accepted as checked baggage with exceeding weight of 23kgs". Special Baggage recommends advance reservation, assigns SSR codes WCBD/WCBW/WCLB, requires approval from all carriers for interline carriage, and warns odd-size baggage "cannot be accepted for the whole route" if any aircraft on the routing cannot take it (the E190 is KQ's tightest type).

Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Lithium-ion batteries
Conditional

"Wheelchair/Mobility Aids with Lithium Battery (dry cell battery) - SSR code WCLB", advance reservation recommended, no watt-hour figure published. Acceptance is reserved: Baggage Allowance says "Under special conditions or authorization, non-normal item, motorized wheelchairs, special sporting equipment may be accepted as checked baggage with exceeding weight of 23kgs", and the wheelchair SSR section adds "For interline carriage; approval for acceptance is required from all carriers concerned."

Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

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

Not published. Neither the Reduced Mobility page nor Special Baggage nor Baggage Restrictions gives any watt-hour figure for a battery that stays installed in the chair; the ICAO/IATA default applies — see global rules.

Watt-hour cap — battery removed into the cabin
Not published

Not published. KQ's only removal rule — "If the baggage is to be checked in, the lithium battery must be removed from the baggage and the lithium battery must be carried in the cabin" — is written for baggage, not mobility aids, and carries no Wh figure.

Watt-hour cap — spare battery
Not published

Not published. KQ requires spare batteries to be terminal-protected and carried in carry-on baggage only, but sets no watt-hour ceiling anywhere on its site.

Spare batteries permittedmaximum number under any published configuration
Not published

No count published. KQ's general rule is that spare batteries "must be individually protected to prevent short circuits ... and carried in carry-on baggage only", and that power banks count as spares; it gives no number for wheelchair spare batteries.

Battery must be removed
Not published

Not published for mobility aids. KQ's rule requiring a lithium battery to be removed from checked baggage and carried in the cabin is written for baggage; nothing on the wheelchair pages says whether a chair battery must come out.

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

"Non Spill-able wet batteries - SSR code WCBD" is one of three wheelchair battery types KQ lists, with advance reservation recommended and no packing or terminal rule published. Acceptance is reserved: "Under special conditions or authorization, non-normal item, motorized wheelchairs, special sporting equipment may be accepted as checked baggage with exceeding weight of 23kgs", and "For interline carriage; approval for acceptance is required from all carriers concerned."

Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Wet / spillable batteries
Conditional

KQ lists "Spill-able batteries (wet cell battery) - SSR code WCBW" as one of three wheelchair battery types and recommends advance reservation. Its Baggage Restrictions page separately bars "wet cell batteries" from checked and hand baggage as corrosive materials, and "devices with spillable batteries" from hand baggage. No wheelchair packing rules are published, so acceptance reads as case-by-case — confirm with the contact centre.

Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage Restrictions — prohibited and restricted items (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Terminal protection & immobilisation
Not published

Not published for mobility aids. KQ's Special Baggage page requires spare batteries to be "individually protected to prevent short circuits by placement in the original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch and carried in carry-on baggage only" — a general lithium rule. No wheelchair-specific terminal-disconnection or immobilisation instruction exists.

Paperwork the airline wants
Not published

Not published. KQ asks for no battery spec sheet, MSDS or manufacturer label; it only requires the right SSR code and "a comment ... on the PNR to enable plan for the right aircraft and ground handling process".

Size limit for a powered chair
Not published

No size limit published for powered chairs. KQ's per-aircraft size table is written for collapsible or dismountable manual wheelchairs; for everything else Special Baggage says only that acceptance "depends on the capacity of the aircraft operating on the passenger's routing".

Weight limit for a powered chair
No stated limit

Special Baggage: "There is no weight limitation for wheelchair and mobility device however a comment has to be given on the PNR to enable plan for the right aircraft and ground handling process." The one weight figure KQ prints, 125 kg on the Embraer 190, belongs to the table for carrying a collapsible manual chair as hand baggage and is not stated to apply to powered chairs.

Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published. KQ says nothing about returning a powered chair at the aircraft door or jet bridge; it offers airport wheelchairs after check-in instead.

KQ's passenger fleet as listed on its own site is the Boeing 787-8, Boeing 737-800 and Embraer E190 (the 737-300F is a freighter). The E190 carries the tightest published wheelchair size and weight limits, so an E190 sector anywhere in the itinerary is the binding constraint.

Manual wheelchairs

Manual chairs accepted
Yes

"You may bring your own wheelchair or other mobility aid or assistive devices free of charge and make your reservation at least 48 hours before departure." A manual wheelchair carried by a passenger is booked under SSR code WCMP; for interline carriage "approval for acceptance is required from all carriers concerned".

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Folding chair may travel in the cabin
Yes

"If you have a manual wheelchair that is collapsible or dismountable, you can bring it as hand baggage as long as it doesn't exceed the maximum dimensions as below" — followed by a per-aircraft table. Treat with caution: KQ publishes no cabin-closet size and the quoted maxima (up to 152 x 139 x 149 cm on the 787) are far larger than any in-cabin stowage space. Confirm with the contact centre before relying on it.

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

In-cabin stowage limitIn-cabin stowage space
112 cm long · 100 cm wide · 70 cm high

"If you have a manual wheelchair that is collapsible or dismountable, you can bring it as hand baggage as long as it doesn't exceed the maximum dimensions as below" (L x W x H): Boeing 787 152 x 139 x 149 cm; Boeing 737-300/700/800 112 x 113 x 85 cm; Embraer 190 120 x 100 x 70 cm. Recorded here as the binding envelope across all three rows — length 112 cm (737), width 100 cm and height 70 cm (E190).

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Size limit for a checked manual chair
Not published

KQ publishes no maximum size for a CHECKED wheelchair. Its per-aircraft size table governs whether a collapsible or dismountable manual chair may be taken as hand baggage; a chair that exceeds it is not refused — "Other types of wheelchairs will be transported as check-in baggage." Figures recorded under cabin_stowage_dimensions.

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Weight limit for a manual chair
No stated limit

Special Baggage: "There is no weight limitation for wheelchair and mobility device however a comment has to be given on the PNR to enable plan for the right aircraft and ground handling process." The only weight figure KQ prints, "125 kg/275.5 lbs" for the Embraer 190, sits in the Maximum Weight column of the table governing carriage of a collapsible chair as hand baggage (787 and 737 rows both read "No max.weight"); it is not a limit on a checked chair.

Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published. KQ says only that wheelchairs other than collapsible/dismountable manual chairs "will be transported as check-in baggage" and that "after checking in, you can use one of the wheelchairs we have available for you at the airport" — nothing about returning your own chair at the aircraft door.

KQ prints its per-aircraft size table under the words "you can bring it as hand baggage", yet the 787 row (152 x 139 x 149 cm) is plainly not a cabin figure, so the table's basis is genuinely ambiguous. It is recorded as cabin_stowage because that is KQ's own framing, and NOT as a maximum device size, because exceeding it only means the chair is checked rather than refused. The 737 row's imperial conversion is printed as "4 x 44.5 x 33 inch", evidently a typo for 44 x 44.5 x 33 in.

Booking & cost

Advance notice requiredhours before scheduled departure
96h

Conditions of Carriage 5.1.3: reservations involving special assistance or "the carriage of medical equipment and mobility aids" "should generally be made no later than 48–96 hours before scheduled departure, depending on the nature of assistance required". The Reduced Mobility page gives the shorter figure: bring your own wheelchair "free of charge and make your reservation at least 48 hours before departure"; at London Heathrow, Gatwick and Paris CDG requests inside 48 h "cannot be guaranteed".

Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

How to request assistance
Call the 24-hour Customer Excellence Center (+254 734 104 747 / +254 711 024 747 / WhatsApp +254 705 474 747) or use KQ's online feedback/enquiry form; there is no online wheelchair-request form

"Wheelchair services shall be provided to passengers free of charge. Kindly contact us through our 24-hour contact center on Tel: +254 734 104 747, Mobile: +254 711 024 747, WhatsApp: +254 705 474 747, or talk to us through 'Our Feedback Form'. We will look into the possibilities and make a reservation for you right away." Conditions of Carriage 7.2 adds that except on flights to/from the USA, acceptance of passengers with reduced mobility "is subject to prior arrangement with us".

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Charge for carrying the aid
No fee

"Wheelchair services shall be provided to passengers free of charge" and "You may bring your own wheelchair or other mobility aid or assistive devices free of charge". Baggage Allowance: "Incapacitated passengers may carry one wheelchair or mobility device free of charge." KQ's separate medical facilitation fees (ambulance, oxygen, stretcher, medical escort) are not charges for carrying a mobility aid.

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Medical & Special Needs Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Mobility devices carried free
1

Baggage Allowance: "Incapacitated passengers may carry one wheelchair or mobility device free of charge." The Reduced Mobility page is worded more broadly — "your own wheelchair or other mobility aid or assistive devices free of charge" — but gives no number.

Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

If they damage your chair
Montreal Convention limit — 1,519 SDR per passenger for checked baggage; no mobility-aid-specific rule

Conditions of Carriage 15.5.2.2: where the Montreal Convention applies the limit is "1,519 Special Drawing Rights per Passenger"; under Warsaw it is 17 SDR per kilo checked. Higher cover only via a special declaration of interest and payment of a fee. KQ publishes no mobility-aid damage procedure and no US ACAA full-value promise — the Customer Service Plan says only that on covered flights "we will comply with all requirements of the DOT disability rules contained in 14 C.F.R. Part 382".

Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Customer Service Plan (US DOT) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

On board

On-board aisle chair
Yes

"Help from the crew is limited to bringing the onboard wheelchair to the passenger and pushing it to and from the lavatory door." KQ does not say which aircraft types carry an on-board wheelchair.

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Accessible lavatory
Not published

Not published. KQ describes crew pushing the on-board wheelchair to the lavatory door but says nothing about an accessible lavatory on any aircraft type.

Crew help you transfer
Conditional

Materially limited on board: "the passenger shall be required to lift him/herself -using the upper body power - in and out of the onboard wheelchair unassisted", crew help being limited to bringing that chair and pushing it to the lavatory door. A passenger who is not self-supporting "must travel with a companion (i.e. personal care attendant)", except on flights to/from the USA. KQ Ezesha terms say "Upon request, Kenya staff can provide assistance with transfers, mobility, and orientation."

Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  KQ Ezesha Accessibility and Carer Support Program (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Seating & movable armrests
Exit-row / extra-legroom exit seats barred to anyone requiring assistance due to reduced mobility; no movable-armrest or bulkhead policy published

Seat FAQs: to take an Extra Legroom Seat on an exit row you "must not be using medical equipment, an extension seat belt or requiring any assistance due to reduced mobility", and such seats "may be re-assigned before or during the journey without any refund". Under KQ Ezesha the cardholder and carer must be seated adjacent to each other in the same cabin. Nothing is published on movable armrests or bulkhead seats.

Seat FAQs — exit-row safety criteria (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  KQ Ezesha Accessibility and Carer Support Program (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Fleet detail. KQ's per-aircraft table (Reduced Mobility, L x W x H) governs carrying a collapsible or dismountable manual chair as hand baggage, not the maximum size of a checked chair: Boeing 787 152 x 139 x 149 cm, no max weight; Boeing 737-300/700/800 112 x 113 x 85 cm, no max weight; Embraer 190 120 x 100 x 70 cm, max 125 kg / 275.5 lbs. Anything larger "will be transported as check-in baggage", for which KQ publishes no size or weight cap. Special Baggage adds that odd-size items "cannot be accepted for the whole route" if any aircraft on the routing cannot accommodate them, so the E190 governs itineraries touching that type.

Worth knowing

Kenya Airways publishes a substantial Reduced Mobility page plus a Special Baggage page that names wheelchair battery SSR codes, but NO watt-hour figures anywhere — do not assume 300/160 Wh. Contradictions a human should resolve with KQ: (1) weight — Special Baggage says "There is no weight limitation for wheelchair and mobility device", while the Reduced Mobility table caps the Embraer 190 at 125 kg; (2) spillable batteries — the wheelchair section lists SSR WCBW for spill-able wet cells, while Baggage Restrictions prohibits "wet cell batteries" in checked and hand baggage and "devices with spillable batteries" in hand baggage; (3) the per-aircraft size table is introduced as a hand-baggage allowance although the 787 row (152 x 139 x 149 cm) cannot be cabin stowage, and the 737 row's inch conversion is misprinted as "4 x 44.5 x 33 inch". Conditions of Carriage 7.2 makes acceptance of passengers with reduced mobility "subject to prior arrangement" except on US flights, and 5.1.3 sets a 48–96 h request window covering mobility aids. KQ flies to New York JFK and publishes a DOT Customer Service Plan committing to 14 CFR Part 382, but has no separate Complaints Resolution Official / disability-assistance page — /en/policies/disability-assistance/ returns 404, and the en-us locale of the Reduced Mobility page is identical to the global one. KQ Ezesha is a Kenya-focused concession card (10% domestic/regional, 18% international ex-Kenya off base fare, KES 3,500 for three years) bookable only by phone; its launch date is still marked TBA. Nothing in this record is taken from KLM or any other SkyTeam partner.

Sources

Every figure above traces to one of these.

  1. s1 Passengers with Reduced Mobility (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  2. s2 Special Baggage — battery-powered wheelchairs, lithium batteries, bulky baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  3. s3 Baggage Restrictions — prohibited and restricted items (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  4. s4 Baggage Allowance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  5. s5 Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  6. s6 Customer Service Plan (US DOT) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  7. s7 Medical & Special Needs Assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  8. s8 KQ Ezesha Accessibility and Carer Support Program (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  9. s9 Contact us — Customer Excellence Center and worldwide offices (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  10. s10 Seat FAQs — exit-row safety criteria (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29

Record quality

Record status researched · confidence high · 10 official sources · 13 contacts · 59% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.