All airlines Europe
TAP Air Portugal
Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 48 h notice · 160 Wh installed-battery cap.
- Advance notice
- 48hours before departure
- Powered wheelchair
- Conditional
- Lithium, battery installed
- 160watt-hours maximum
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhonePortugal — TAP Contact Center (special needs enquiries)
- Online form
TAP publishes no dedicated accessibility phone line, no special-assistance email address and no TTY/text-relay number; everything is routed through the online assistance form or the general Contact Center on +351 211 234 400 (charged as a Portuguese national landline call). At Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Horta, Flores, Funchal and Porto Santo the airport assistance itself is delivered by ANA's 'My Way' service, not by TAP.
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-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids are carried in the hold but every battery type "requires approval"; lithium-powered devices require approval for both cabin and hold carriage. Separately, "Electric wheelchairs cannot be carried onto the aircraft" — on TAP-operated flights a replacement manual chair is provided at check-in, and on flights operated by other airlines the request to carry an electric wheelchair may be refused.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium-ion wheelchair batteries are "permitted but requires approval" as both hand and hold baggage. The battery must meet each of the tests in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, sub-section 38.3.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
TAP's own dangerous-items page (flytap.com/en-pt): "In the case of non-removable (fixed or installed) batteries, only two batteries per device may be transported, and each must not exceed 160 Wh."
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"If the battery can be removed and the device does not provide adequate protection for it, it must be removed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The battery to be removed must not exceed 300 Wh." Removed batteries may be carried as hand baggage in the cabin.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"You may carry a maximum of one spare battery not exceeding 300 Wh or two spare batteries not exceeding 160 Wh each", protected against damage and carried as hand baggage in the cabin.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium: one spare of up to 300 Wh, or two spares of up to 160 Wh each, carried in the cabin. Non-spillable: one additional wet non-spillable spare, or two additional dry / nickel-metal hydride spares.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Only if the chair does not protect the battery: "Remove the battery according to the manufacturer's instructions if the mobility aid does not provide adequate protection." Otherwise the battery stays securely attached and disconnected from the electrical circuits. Spillable and non-spillable batteries must remain installed and travel in the hold.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Non-spillable batteries: prohibited as hand baggage, allowed as hold baggage with approval. The device must be loaded, stored, secured and unloaded upright, the battery must remain installed and its terminals protected. "You can transport one additional wet, non-spillable spare battery, two additional dry batteries, or nickel-metal hydride spare batteries."
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Flooded (spillable) batteries: prohibited as hand baggage, allowed as hold baggage with approval. The wheelchair must be loaded, stored, secured and unloaded in an upright position; the battery must remain installed and securely attached, terminals must be protected against short circuits, and flooded batteries must always be carried in suitable packaging.
Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Protect the battery terminals to avoid short circuits"; the battery must be securely attached to the chair and disconnected from the electrical circuits per the manufacturer's instructions (e.g. disconnect the battery or turn off the main switch). TAP's wheelchair page adds that batteries must be "properly protected, stored and disconnected, and the terminals covered with insulating material".
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
TAP does not require a specific form, manufacturer's data sheet or MSDS. It requires you to declare at booking whether the chair is manual or electric plus "the battery type and its specifications", and lithium batteries must comply with UN Manual of Tests and Criteria Part III, sub-section 38.3.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Hold-door apertures, not a stated maximum chair size. Smallest is TAP Express (Embraer 190/195) at 0.87 m high (34 in) x 0.99 m wide (39 in); A319/A320/A321 and NEO family 1.24 m (48 in) x 1.81 m (71 in); A330-200 / A330-900neo 1.70 m (66 in) x 2.70 m (106 in).
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum weight for an electric mobility aid is published on flytap.com.
Not published. TAP does state that "Electric wheelchairs cannot be carried onto the aircraft" and that on TAP-operated flights a replacement manual chair is provided at check-in, but it does not say where your own powered chair is returned on arrival.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Two things to plan for: (1) you cannot ride your powered chair to the aircraft — TAP hands you a manual replacement chair at check-in on TAP-operated flights; (2) on flights operated by other airlines on TAP's behalf the carriage of an electric wheelchair may be refused, and TAP tells you to confirm with the operating carrier before travelling. The smallest hold door in the fleet, on the TAP Express Embraer 190/195, is only 87 cm high x 99 cm wide.
Manual wheelchairs
Passengers may travel with their own wheelchair; up to two chairs per passenger are carried free in the hold, provided the need is notified before departure.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published on flytap.com. TAP describes wheelchairs as carried in the hold and says nothing about stowing a folding manual chair in the cabin; it only warns you to respect the normal hand-baggage size and weight limits.
No in-cabin wheelchair stowage dimensions are published on flytap.com.
TAP publishes hold-door apertures, not a maximum chair size. Smallest is TAP Express (Embraer 190/195): 0.87 m high (34 in) x 0.99 m wide (39 in). Also A319/A320/A321 and the NEO family 1.24 m (48 in) x 1.81 m (71 in); A330-200 and A330-900neo 1.70 m (66 in) x 2.70 m (106 in). TAP's table mislabels these metre figures as 'cm'; the inch equivalents confirm they are metres.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum wheelchair weight is published on flytap.com; TAP publishes only hold-door apertures per aircraft type.
Not published. TAP says its own airport wheelchair takes you to the gate, the aircraft door or your seat depending on your mobility category, and that assistance staff accompany you through baggage claim on arrival, but it does not state where your own chair is handed back.
Recommended arrival at check-in: 3 h before an intercontinental departure or 2 h for flights in Europe; latest arrival 2 h and 1 h 30 respectively. At some airports boarding and disembarkation are by stairs rather than a jet bridge. Passengers with severe motor difficulties must travel accompanied.
Booking & cost
"Make your Assistance Request up to 48h before your trip, otherwise we cannot guarantee the provision of the service." The online form must be submitted up to 48 hours before travel; codeshare or connecting itineraries must go through the Contact Center instead.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Assistance Request for people with special needs (online form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
You must state your degree of motor limitation and the type of assistance needed. When booking you must also "indicate whether the chair is manual or electric, as well as the battery type and its specifications".
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special needs (index, Contact Center number) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Assistance Request for people with special needs (online form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Each passenger can transport up to two wheelchairs on the aircraft's hold for free." Airport wheelchair assistance is also provided at no charge.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Each passenger can transport up to two wheelchairs on the aircraft's hold for free" (PT: "Cada passageiro pode transportar gratuitamente até duas cadeiras de rodas no porão").
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
TAP publishes no mobility-aid-specific damage rule — no ACAA full-value commitment, loaner-chair promise or Complaint Resolution Official is named on flytap.com. Its baggage pages say only that liability for lost or delayed baggage "is limited" per the Conditions of Carriage, and that TAP does not accept responsibility for minor wear and tear.
Lost / Damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
"On long-haul flights, if necessary, TAP provides wheelchairs specially designed to circulate in the narrow aisles, in order to facilitate mobility in the cabin." No aisle chair is published for short/medium-haul flights.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published on flytap.com; no aircraft type is listed as having a wheelchair-accessible lavatory.
TAP's wheelchair page says the crew assist with boarding, disembarking, settling in and cabin information but "cannot help you with your personal care, movement or eating", and that passengers with severe motor difficulties must travel accompanied. Its deaf-passenger page instead offers "assistance in moving from your seat to the bathroom, if necessary. No assistance is provided inside the bathroom."
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Deaf passengers (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
TAP publishes no movable-armrest or bulkhead-seating policy. It says only that "in some cases, seat reservation may be free for passengers with specific accessibility needs", assessed through the assistance request form or the Contact Center.
Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Hold-door apertures published by TAP (height x width): TAP Express Embraer 190/195 0.87 m (34 in) x 0.99 m (39 in); TAP fleet A319-100 / A320-200 / A321-200 and TAP Neo fleet A320-200neo / A321-200neo / A321-200LR 1.24 m (48 in) x 1.81 m (71 in); A330-200 and A330-900neo 1.70 m (66 in) x 2.70 m (106 in). TAP's table prints these metre values with a 'cm' unit label; the inch equivalents confirm they are metres.
Worth knowing
Both the English (flytap.com/en-pt) and Portuguese (flytap.com/pt-pt) wheelchair pages were read; they carry identical content and figures, so the English wording is quoted here. Points a human should re-check: (1) TAP's own hold-door table labels metres as 'cm' ('Height: 0,87 cm (34 pol.)') — the inch figures show they are metres; (2) the wheelchair page says crew cannot help with 'movement' while the deaf-passenger page offers help moving from the seat to the bathroom; (3) TAP takes your powered chair at check-in and gives you a manual loaner, so you cannot use your own chair to the gate; (4) unlike the Lufthansa Group carriers, TAP names no Complaint Resolution Official and publishes no mobility-device damage/loaner commitment, only the generic DOT contact details for flights to/from the USA; (5) no accessibility email, no TTY/relay and no maximum chair weight are published anywhere on flytap.com.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Traveling with a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Dangerous items — Battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Special needs (index, Contact Center number) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Assistance Request for people with special needs (online form) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Viajar com cadeira de rodas (Portuguese) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Deaf passengers (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 Lost / Damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 7 official sources · 2 contacts · 77% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.