All airlines Asia Pacific
Korean Air
Powered wheelchairs accepted · carried free.
- Advance notice
- Not published
- 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.
- PhoneKorea — Service Center (domestic short code 1588-2001)International line: Korean 07:00–22:00 daily, English 24/7; domestic Korean/English 07:00–19:00 daily
- PhoneUSA & Canada — Service Center (toll-free)Korean/English 24/7
- PhoneOther American regions — Service CenterKorean/English 24/7
- PhoneUnited Kingdom — Service Center (toll-free)Korean/English 24/7
- PhoneOther European regions — Service CenterKorean/English 24/7; French/German/Italian/Spanish 08:30–17:30 weekdays CET
- PhoneJapan — Service CenterKorean/English 24/7; Japanese 09:00–19:00 daily
- PhoneChina — Service Center (toll-free)Korean/English 24/7; Chinese 08:00–19:00 daily
- PhoneAustralia — Service CenterKorean/English 24/7
- Relay / textDial 711 (FCC's Telecommunications Relay Service); Korean Air lists it alongside its US number 1-800-438-5000USA — hearing and speech impairment
Korean Air publishes no dedicated disability email address or accessibility-only phone line; the general Service Center handles wheelchair requests. Complaints Resolution Officials (CROs) are designated at Incheon and Busan and at all US airports — ask any staff member to put you in contact with one.
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.
Electric wheelchair main bodies are transported as checked baggage in accordance with dangerous goods regulations. Korean Air must be told at booking because the battery requires special action (e.g. removal). Electric scooters are also carried when used as a mobility aid.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium-battery electric wheelchairs are accepted. Removable batteries must be taken out and carried in the cabin (prohibited in checked baggage). Non-removable batteries stay attached to the chair in the hold, secured with short-circuit prevention — "if short-circuit prevention is not possible, transportation is not permitted".
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No watt-hour cap is published for a non-removable battery that stays installed in the chair; Korean Air requires only that it be securely attached to the wheelchair with measures taken to prevent a short circuit.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Maximum capacity for removable lithium batteries: 300 Wh or less (carried by passengers)." The removed battery travels in the cabin and is prohibited in checked baggage.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Spare/extra wheelchair batteries: one battery of 300 Wh or less, or two batteries of 160 Wh or less each.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Either one spare battery of 300 Wh or less, or two spare batteries of 160 Wh or less each, carried in the cabin.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Only when the battery is removable: a removable lithium battery must be removed and carried in the cabin and is prohibited in checked baggage. A non-removable battery stays secured on the chair in the hold. Dry and wet cell batteries stay with the chair in the hold (carry-on prohibited).
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Electric wheelchairs with a dry cell (or non-spillable wet cell) battery: carry-on prohibited, checked baggage allowed. Removability and battery type must be declared to Korean Air.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Electric wheelchairs with a wet cell battery: carry-on prohibited, checked baggage allowed. The passenger must provide information on whether the battery is removable, on the battery type (dry or wet cell) and, for wet cells, on whether it is spillable or non-spillable.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Batteries carried in the cabin must be placed individually in transparent plastic bags or have their terminals wrapped with electrical tape to prevent short circuits, and storing them in the overhead bin is strictly prohibited. Non-removable batteries must be secured to the chair with short-circuit prevention measures. Use and charging of power banks on board is prohibited.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No battery spec sheet, MSDS or manufacturer certificate is demanded in writing. Korean Air requires the passenger to provide information on whether the battery is removable, on the battery type (dry or wet cell) and, for wet cells, on whether it is spillable.
Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Escalation threshold, not a refusal size. Korean Air: "If the dimensions of your wheelchair exceed 122 cm (width) x 84 cm (height), please contact our Service Center as it may be difficult to fit on smaller aircraft (such as the B737)." Exceeding it triggers a call, not a refusal — Korean Air publishes no maximum chair size. Nor is 122 x 84 one of its own cargo-door apertures (its B737-8/-800 door is 78 x 121 cm), so it should not be read as one. The regional version of the same page drops the figure and tells you to check the door dimensions for your aircraft.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit for electric wheelchairs is published.
Korean Air says passengers may use their own wheelchair up to the boarding gate, but does not publish whether an electric chair is returned at the aircraft door on arrival.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Electric scooters used as mobility aids are carried free of charge; tell staff in advance when booking. Electric wheelchairs are loaded in the cargo compartment under Korean Air's hazardous materials rules.
Manual wheelchairs
Passengers may use their own wheelchair up to the boarding gate; wheelchairs and walking aids are carried free of charge, and airport assistance from a designated Korean Air agent is still provided to passengers using their own chair.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Korean Air does not publish whether a folding manual wheelchair may be stowed in the cabin; its pages describe personal wheelchairs going into the cargo compartment and an on-board aisle wheelchair being provided instead.
No in-cabin stowage dimensions for a folding wheelchair are published.
Escalation threshold, not a refusal size. Korean Air: "If the dimensions of your wheelchair exceed 122 cm (width) x 84 cm (height), please contact our Service Center as it may be difficult to fit on smaller aircraft (such as the B737)." Exceeding it triggers a call, not a refusal — Korean Air publishes no maximum chair size. Nor is 122 x 84 one of its own cargo-door apertures (its B737-8/-800 door is 78 x 121 cm), so it should not be read as one. The regional version of the same page drops the figure and tells you to check the door dimensions for your aircraft.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit for wheelchairs is published; the constraint Korean Air publishes is the cargo-door aperture of each aircraft type.
Korean Air states passengers may use their personal wheelchair up to the boarding gate, but does not publish whether the chair is returned at the aircraft door on arrival — it says staff will guide arriving passengers to the Arrivals Hall.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Wheelchairs and walking aids are transported free of charge. Chairs are inspected for pre-existing damage at check-in; report damage found on arrival on a damage report form.
Booking & cost
No hour-based deadline is published. Korean Air asks that wheelchair service be requested through the website or Service Center before you come to the airport, and that an electric wheelchair be declared when booking the ticket; the service is given with priority to passengers who request it in advance.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Request wheelchair service via the Korean Air website or the Service Center before you come to the airport. Passengers needing the in-flight (aisle) wheelchair "are asked to request" it in advance through a travel agency or the Service Center. Electric wheelchairs: "please let us know if you use one when booking your ticket" because the battery requires special action.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Korean Air will transport passengers' wheelchairs and walking aids free of charge." Electric scooters are also carried free of charge when used as a mobility aid.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Korean Air does not publish a numeric limit on how many mobility devices one passenger may check free of charge.
Wheelchairs are inspected for pre-existing damage at check-in and damage found on arrival should be reported on a damage report form. A Special Declaration of Interest under Montreal Convention Art. 22(2) may be made any time before the aid is taken for stowage. To/from the USA a lost, damaged or delayed wheelchair may be claimed with a CRO and repaired or replaced by a vendor of the passenger's preference or Korean Air's providers.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
Every Korean Air aircraft carries one on-board wheelchair. Unfolded it is 39 cm wide, 69 cm long and 84 cm high. It must be requested in advance through a travel agency or the Service Center.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Korean Air publishes nothing about accessible lavatories on its wheelchair or special-assistance pages.
At the departure airport a dedicated staff member assists from check-in to boarding; at the destination staff guide the passenger to the Arrivals Hall. For US flights Korean Air commits to transport to, from and between gates (wheelchair or electric cart), boarding assistance, and in-airport and on-board assistance under 14 CFR Part 382.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Korean Air Customer Service Plan (US DOT 14 CFR Part 382 / CRO) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Priority seats are available for passengers who use wheelchairs or have disabilities, on Korean Air-operated flights only (codeshares excluded), in Economy and Prestige Class on certain aircraft types. Request the 'Passenger requiring assistance' service in your booking. Movable-armrest seating is not described.
Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Korean Air publishes cargo-door apertures (height x width) per type: B787-9/-10 111 x 88 cm; B777-200ER 119 x 111 cm; B777-300/-300ER 101 x 83 cm; B747-8I 119 x 111 cm; B737-8/-800 78 x 121 cm; B737-900/-900ER 76 x 114 cm; A330-300 86 x 121 cm; A350-900 68 x 83 cm; A380-800 58 x 58 cm; A220-300 76 x 60 cm; A321neo 58 x 50 cm. The A321neo has the tightest door on the fleet. If the chair exceeds the door, contact the Service Center; from/to the USA, passengers who must take an alternative KE-operated flight because the chair did not fit may claim the fare difference (tickets issued on or after 17 March 2025).
Worth knowing
Korean Air's English site is detailed. Two figures must not be confused: the 122 x 84 cm 'contact us' threshold for chair size, and the per-aircraft cargo-door table (smallest A321neo 58 x 50 cm), which is the real constraint. Lithium rules split by removability — removable batteries cap at 300 Wh and travel in the cabin; non-removable batteries have no published Wh cap but are refused if short circuits cannot be prevented. Power bank use and charging on board is banned and cabin batteries may not go in overhead bins. CROs are designated at Incheon, Busan and all US airports. No accessibility-specific email or phone line is published.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Passengers using a wheelchair (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Restricted items — lithium batteries (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Special baggage — electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Korean Air Customer Service Plan (US DOT 14 CFR Part 382 / CRO) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Service Center — telephone numbers by region (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Customers who need special assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 6 official sources · 9 contacts · 68% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.