All airlines Middle East
Riyadh Air
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.
- Online form
- Relay / textLive chat is open to guests with an active Order and to Sfeer members; Sfeer members also get 'Sfeer Priority Assist', a 24/7 global call-back service. No TTY or text relay is published.Live chat (app or website), 24/7, English and Arabic
Riyadh Air states plainly that it offers no support by email, town office or airport ticket desk ('While we don't currently offer assistance through town offices, airport ticket desks, or email, our dedicated team is always available online'). No accessibility telephone number is published anywhere on riyadhair.com — the only routes in are the in-app/website live chat, the Sfeer members' call-back service, and the online case form.
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.
Battery wheelchairs are accepted — non-spillable, nickel-metal hydride, dry, wet-cell (spillable) and lithium-ion — but 'all battery-powered wheelchairs require approval from Riyadh Air', to be arranged well in advance.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted, but "All battery-powered wheelchairs require approval from Riyadh Air, so we recommend making arrangements with us well in advance." Batteries "need to be UN tested and certified"; keep the battery securely attached with electrical circuits isolated, or remove it per the manufacturer's instructions and carry it in a protective pouch in carry-on. Removed battery max 300 watt hours; one spare up to 300 Wh or two up to 160 Wh.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No watt-hour cap is published for a lithium battery that stays installed in the chair — Riyadh Air's 300 Wh figure is stated only for a battery removed into the cabin.
'The removed battery should not exceed 300 watt hours.' A removed battery must go in a protective pouch and be carried in the cabin in carry-on baggage.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'You can bring one spare battery up to 300 watt hours, or two spares, each not exceeding 160 watt hours, in your carry-on bag.'
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium-ion: one spare up to 300 Wh, or two spares each not exceeding 160 Wh, in carry-on. Other chemistries: one spare wet non-spillable battery, or two spare nickel-metal hydride or dry batteries, in strong rigid packaging, clearly labelled, as checked baggage.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Removal is an option, not a requirement: the battery must be 'either securely attached with the electrical circuits isolated or removed, following the manufacturer's instructions'. The same either/or applies to non-spillable, NiMH and dry batteries.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Non-spillable, nickel-metal hydride and dry batteries are accepted, but "All battery-powered wheelchairs require approval from Riyadh Air, so we recommend making arrangements with us well in advance." Follow the manufacturer's instructions to remove the battery or keep it securely attached; a detachable battery may be removed, packed in strong rigid packaging, clearly labelled and checked in.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted — "You can keep the battery securely attached to your wheelchair as long as all electrical circuits are isolated" — but "All battery-powered wheelchairs require approval from Riyadh Air, so we recommend making arrangements with us well in advance." Tell Riyadh Air at check-in and tell the cabin crew; the chair is loaded, stowed, secured and unloaded upright, depending on aircraft type.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Riyadh Air requires the battery to be 'securely attached with the electrical circuits isolated' or removed per the manufacturer's instructions, and spillable batteries to be kept upright with all circuits isolated.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'Lithium-ion batteries need to be UN tested and certified.' Separately: 'If your wheelchair needs to be dismantled for transport, kindly provide us with instructions for disassembly and reassembly.' No MSDS or spec-sheet form is specified.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum powered-wheelchair dimensions are published.
No weight cap is published for a powered wheelchair; the chair 'may be weighed at check-in to ensure it meets the requirements for the aircraft's cargo hold'.
Same rule as for manual chairs: 'where local authorities and regulations permit, we will do our utmost to return your wheelchair near the aircraft door upon arrival', otherwise a loan chair is provided and the passenger's own chair is collected in the baggage hall.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Hoverboards are banned outright. The 100 Wh cap Riyadh Air publishes for portable electronic devices and power banks is a separate rule and is not applied to wheelchair batteries.
Manual wheelchairs
'Subject to these terms and conditions, we gladly accept both manual and battery-powered wheelchairs: 1. Manual-powered wheelchairs (no battery required).'
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'You're welcome to bring a fully collapsible wheelchair into the cabin, as long as it fits within our cabin size limits and subject to operational restrictions.' If it will not fit, Riyadh Air checks it in and returns it as close to the aircraft door as possible.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Riyadh Air publishes no wheelchair-specific cabin figure. The mobility-aid page allows a fully collapsible chair in the cabin only if it 'fits within our cabin size limits', and the carry-on policy sets that maximum at 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm. This is the general carry-on box, not a stated chair allowance.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carry-on bags (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum checked-wheelchair dimensions are published; Riyadh Air refers only to 'the requirements for the aircraft's cargo hold'.
No weight figure is published. Riyadh Air says only that 'your wheelchair may be weighed at check-in to ensure it meets the requirements for the aircraft's cargo hold'.
'Where local authorities and regulations permit, we will do our utmost to return your wheelchair near the aircraft door upon arrival.' If that is not possible a Riyadh Air wheelchair is provided and the passenger collects their own chair in the baggage hall.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
If the chair has to be dismantled for transport the passenger must supply disassembly and reassembly instructions. Guests with wheelchair needs are seated in aisle seats wherever possible; emergency-exit rows are not permitted.
Booking & cost
Conditions of Carriage 16.2: where special assistance requires medical clearance (unable to board, move about the cabin or evacuate unassisted), full details must be confirmed no later than 48 hours before the flight. Otherwise Riyadh Air asks for wheelchair assistance, and notice of a personal wheelchair, 'at least 24 hours' before departure.
Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Wheelchair (assistance services and guidelines) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Specify WCHR, WCHS or WCHC when booking. No medical documentation is needed for wheelchair assistance alone. 'All battery-powered wheelchairs require approval from Riyadh Air, so we recommend making arrangements with us well in advance.' Check in at least 3 hours before departure, domestic or international.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Wheelchair (assistance services and guidelines) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'We will accept your personal wheelchair as checked baggage at no extra cost to you'; 'wheelchair services are provided at no additional cost'. Conditions of Carriage 16.5: an assistive device such as a wheelchair or cane is carried free of charge as priority baggage, and a high-value declaration for it attracts no fee.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Wheelchair (assistance services and guidelines) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Riyadh Air does not publish how many mobility devices are carried free per passenger.
Conditions of Carriage 23.9.3-23.9.4 and 23.9.11. Article 16.5 requires a high-value assistive device to be declared, 'save that no additional fee will be payable'. Riyadh Air also asks to be told of a high-value wheelchair at booking or check-in, and disclaims liability for protruding parts and normal wear.
Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
Riyadh Air does not publish whether an on-board aisle chair is carried. WCHC is described only as a wheelchair 'to and from the aircraft, lounge, and cabin seat'.
Not published. The mobility-aid page mentions aisle seating to make transfers to the lavatory easier but says nothing about an accessible lavatory on board.
WCHC covers guests 'who are completely immobile and require a wheelchair to and from the aircraft, lounge, and cabin seat'. Guests unable to evacuate independently must travel with an able-bodied assistant.
Wheelchair (assistance services and guidelines) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'For your comfort and safety, guests with wheelchair needs are seated in aisle seats wherever possible, making it easier to transfer to and from the lavatory. However, seating emergency exit isn't permitted.' Nothing is published about movable armrests or bulkhead seats.
Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Worth knowing
The mobility-aid policy is unusually detailed for a start-up carrier, but the contact model is the weak point for disabled travellers: Riyadh Air states it deliberately offers no email, town-office or airport ticket-desk support and publishes no telephone number at all, so assistance must be arranged through app/website live chat (which needs an active booking or Sfeer membership) or the online case form. Guests who cannot evacuate independently must travel with an able-bodied assistant. No US Complaints Resolution Official page exists; Riyadh Air did not serve the USA at the time of research.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Personal wheelchair and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Wheelchair (assistance services and guidelines) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Dangerous goods and prohibited items (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Conditions of Carriage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Contact us (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Carry-on bags (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 6 official sources · 2 contacts · 73% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.