All airlines Africa
Global Airways and Lift
Powered wheelchairs accepted · carried free · 48 h notice.
- Advance notice
- 48hours before departure
- Powered wheelchair
- Yes
- Lithium, battery installed
- Not published
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- EmailSouth Africa — LIFT Customer Support Desk (special assistance); weekdays 07:00–19:00, weekends 08:00–17:00
- Online form
- Online form
- Relay / text+27 76 650 0972 (published as 076 650 0972). Weekdays 07:00–19:00, weekends 08:00–17:00. This is the channel LIFT itself names for special-assistance requests.WhatsApp — LIFT Customer Support Desk
LIFT publishes NO telephone number — its Contact Us page offers WhatsApp, e-mail and a group-booking form only, so there is no voice line and no TTY/text-relay service to record. The wheelchair request form and the WhatsApp desk are the direct accessibility channels. LIFT flies domestic South Africa only, so no US DOT Complaints Resolution Official page exists.
Read it from the source
3 of the unanswered fields below share one explanation: Not published for wheelchairs, and there is an unresolved conflict. LIFT's baggage page states a blanket rule — "Lithium batteries, including power banks, are not permitted in checked baggage. All lithium batteries must be carried in your cabin bag only and may not exceed a maximum capacity of 100wh per item" — but its wheelchair article allows battery-powered chairs up to 32 kg stowed in the hold, and almost every power-chair battery exceeds 100 Wh. LIFT does not say which rule governs a wheelchair battery. Confirm with support@lift.co.za before travelling. The rest carry their own.
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.
Accepted up to a weight limit: "No battery-powered wheelchair or mobility aid weighing in excess of 32 kg will be allowed onboard. If the maximum weight is exceeded, the item will need to be carried as cargo. Arrangements for the transportation of these wheelchairs will need to be arranged by the passenger." Powered chairs within 32 kg travel free in the hold like any other mobility aid.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published for mobility aids. LIFT's 100 Wh cabin-only figure covers "portable charging devices and spare batteries" generally — a general portable-electronics rule, not a stated spare-wheelchair-battery limit — so it is not recorded as a mobility-aid value. Check with support@lift.co.za if you carry a spare chair battery.
Not published — LIFT states no number of spare wheelchair batteries.
Not published — LIFT does not say whether a wheelchair battery must be removed and carried in the cabin, even though its general baggage rule bans lithium batteries from checked baggage.
Not published — LIFT does not distinguish battery chemistry for wheelchairs; it sets only a 32 kg weight limit on battery-powered mobility aids.
Not published — LIFT does not distinguish wet/spillable, gel or lithium batteries for wheelchairs; it sets only a 32 kg weight limit on battery-powered mobility aids.
Not published — LIFT states no terminal-insulation or immobilisation requirement for wheelchair batteries.
Not published — LIFT asks for no battery spec sheet, label or MSDS for a wheelchair.
Not published — LIFT sets a weight limit for powered chairs but no dimensional limit.
"No battery-powered wheelchair or mobility aid weighing in excess of 32 kg will be allowed onboard. If the maximum weight is exceeded, the item will need to be carried as cargo" — and that cargo shipment is the passenger's own responsibility and expense.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published — LIFT says nothing about returning a powered chair at the aircraft door.
The 32 kg ceiling is the binding constraint: many mid-range power chairs exceed it once the battery is installed, and LIFT then pushes the chair onto a cargo booking the passenger must arrange and pay for themselves. Weigh your chair before booking.
Manual wheelchairs
"A passenger's own wheelchair or mobility aid will be carried free of charge and stowed in the aircraft hold for the duration of the flight." Separately, the number of WCHR/WCHS/WCHC assistance requests is limited per flight and must be booked in advance — that limit is on the assistance, not on the chair.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
LIFT says the passenger's own chair is "stowed in the aircraft hold for the duration of the flight"; it offers no in-cabin stowage for a folding manual chair.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published — LIFT offers no in-cabin wheelchair stowage, so no closet dimensions exist.
Not published. LIFT states no maximum wheelchair dimensions. Its 200 x 80 x 75 cm figure is the sporting-equipment / oversize-baggage limit and is not stated to apply to mobility aids, so it is deliberately not recorded here.
Not published for manual chairs. LIFT's only mobility-aid weight figure is "No battery-powered wheelchair or mobility aid weighing in excess of 32 kg will be allowed onboard", which reads as applying to battery-powered devices. Its general baggage rule — "Bags weighing more than 32 kg… must be sent via cargo at your own expense" — is a baggage rule, and mobility aids travel free outside the allowance.
Not published. LIFT says only that "wheelchair service will only be made available from the LIFT check-in counters and from the aircraft to the arrival halls" — that describes LIFT's own loaner wheelchair service, not where a passenger's own chair is returned. Ask the support desk if you need it at the aircraft door.
LIFT recognises three assistance codes: WCHR (wheelchair to and from the aircraft; passenger can manage stairs and the cabin unaided), WCHS (also needs help up/down stairs; a Passenger-Aid-Unit may be used to board), and WCHC (also needs help in the aircraft; a PAU may be used). "There may be instances where an able-bodied companion is required to accompany a passenger making use of wheelchair assistance" — Customer Support decides after reviewing the form. "Passengers and their assistants may not be seated in any emergency rows."
Booking & cost
"Special assistance may also be requested via our Customer Support Desk no later than 48 hours prior to departure." LIFT prefers it earlier still: "Wheelchair requests must be added on the Traveller Information page when booking, as the number of Wheelchair requests is limited per flight."
LIFT — Special Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
LIFT: "Wheelchair requests must be added on the Traveller Information page when booking, as the number of Wheelchair requests is limited per flight." The Special Assistance page adds: "Special assistance may also be requested via our Customer Support Desk no later than 48 hours prior to departure. Please send us a WhatsApp message on 076 650 0972 or pop a mail to support@lift.co.za", and links a dedicated wheelchair request form.
LIFT — Special Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"A passenger's own wheelchair or mobility aid will be carried free of charge and stowed in the aircraft hold for the duration of the flight." No handling or oversize fee is published for mobility aids.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published — LIFT states no limit on the number of mobility devices per passenger, only that the passenger's own wheelchair or mobility aid travels free in the hold.
LIFT's Notice of Baggage Liability limitations: "Liability for loss, delay or damage to baggage shall be limited, insofar as Domestic Carriage is concerned, i.e. carriage wholly within the Republic of South Africa, to a limit of 20 (twenty) U.S. dollars per kilogram per checked baggage and hand baggage provided that if in accordance with applicable law different limits of liability are applicable such different limits shall apply." No mobility-aid-specific (full replacement value) rule is published, so a wheelchair is capped at the ordinary per-kilogram baggage limit.
LIFT — Terms and Conditions (notice of baggage liability limitation) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
Not published — LIFT does not say whether an on-board aisle chair is carried on its Airbus A320 fleet.
Not published — LIFT makes no statement about lavatory accessibility.
Available but rationed and possibly conditional on a companion. WCHS/WCHC passengers are assisted up and down the stairs and to the cabin seat, and "A Passenger-Aid-Unit (PAU) may be required to board this passenger". But requests are "limited per flight" and must be made at booking, and "There may be instances where an able-bodied companion is required to accompany a passenger making use of wheelchair assistance", decided by Customer Support after reviewing the form.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"PLEASE NOTE: Passengers and their assistants may not be seated in any emergency rows." LIFT publishes no movable-armrest or bulkhead policy.
LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. LIFT flights are operated by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a LIFT under Global Airways' South African AOC (CAA/N835D). Global Airways "operates a mixed Airbus fleet of A320 Narrow Body and A340 Wide Body Aircraft"; the A320s are configured for 150, 162 or 180 seats. LIFT publishes no hold-door or hold dimensions, only the 32 kg limit on battery-powered mobility aids.
Worth knowing
OPERATOR TYPE CORRECTED — the stub said acmi_charter. That is only half true. Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd trades both as Global Airways, "the largest dedicated ACMI specialist in South & Sub-Saharan Africa" (g-airways.com), AND as LIFT, a scheduled domestic South African airline selling seats direct to the public: "up to 28 daily flights, 3 major destinations" between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, with every LIFT page footed "© Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a LIFT". Because a wheelchair user can buy a ticket and does have a published policy to rely on, the record is scheduled_passenger and the policy is LIFT's. On the ACMI side of the business the contracting airline's policy applies, not this one. HEADLINE — own wheelchair carried free in the hold; battery-powered chairs allowed up to 32 kg, above which the passenger must arrange and pay for cargo carriage; assistance must be booked at reservation because slots are limited per flight; 48 h deadline via the WhatsApp/e-mail support desk. CONTRADICTION A HUMAN SHOULD RESOLVE — the baggage page says "Lithium batteries, including power banks, are not permitted in checked baggage. All lithium batteries must be carried in your cabin bag only and may not exceed a maximum capacity of 100wh per item", while the wheelchair article puts battery-powered chairs (up to 32 kg) in the hold. Those cannot both be true for a lithium power chair. The 100 Wh figure has deliberately NOT been written into any battery field. Also note the sporting-equipment article's line that "E-bikes and motorised rideables (with integrated lithium batteries) are generally not accepted as checked baggage" — that is about sports gear and must not be read as covering wheelchairs, which the wheelchair article expressly permits. CONTACTS — LIFT publishes no phone number at all; WhatsApp and e-mail are the only channels.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 LIFT — Special Assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 LIFT Support — Wheelchair requests (modified 1 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 LIFT — Baggage policy (incl. lithium battery notice) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 LIFT — Terms and Conditions (notice of baggage liability limitation) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 LIFT — Contact Us (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 LIFT — About Us (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 Global Airways — About Us (ACMI operator, AOC CAA/N835D) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s8 Global Airways — Our Fleet (Airbus A320 / A340) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s9 LIFT Support — Sporting & Musical Equipment (Dangerous Goods & batteries) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence medium · 9 official sources · 4 contacts · 35% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.