All airlines Europe
Nordwind Airlines
Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 48 h notice · no watt-hour cap on an installed battery.
- Advance notice
- 48hours before departure
- Powered wheelchair
- Conditional
- Lithium, battery installed
- No stated limit
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhoneNordwind Airlines — general switchboard
- PhoneSheremetyevo airport — PRM assistance (listed by Nordwind)
- PhonePulkovo, St Petersburg — PRM assistance (listed by Nordwind)
- PhoneKazan airport — PRM assistance (listed by Nordwind)
- PhoneSochi airport — PRM assistance (listed by Nordwind)
- EmailSpecial assistance requests (at least 48 h before the flight)
Caution: the accessibility page misprints the assistance e-mail as n4@nordwindairines.ru (missing an "l"). The Contacts page gives the correct address n4@nordwindairlines.ru, which is the one recorded here. Nordwind publishes no accessibility telephone line of its own — the four numbers it lists are the PRM desks of the airports it serves. Pulkovo is also listed with a second number, +7 812 337 34 44.
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.
Accepted but only with the airline's prior permission: "the passenger should obtain the Airline's permission in advance and provide information about the type of battery installed and the procedure for handling the vehicle (including instructions for isolating the battery)". "Wheelchair with electric drive must be transported in luggage hold" — checked in at the desk and handed over at the oversized-baggage counter.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted only with the airline's permission: "Lithium-ion batteries are carried in hand luggage… Airline permission is required for transportation." Each battery must meet UN Manual of Tests and Criteria part III subsection 38.3. The captain is informed of the location of the chair, of any removed battery and of spares.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"If the battery of the wheelchair / vehicle with lithium batteries is not removable, then the limits on the energy intensity in Wh, for the installed battery, do not apply." The battery may stay in the chair where the structure protects it and it is securely attached.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"The removed battery should not exceed 300 Wh." A removed battery must be carried in the passenger cabin, its terminals insulated (e.g. taped) and the battery protected from damage in a case.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"It is possible to transport only one spare battery with an energy capacity of no more than 300 W [sic, Wh] or two spare batteries, the energy capacity of each of which does not exceed 160 Wh. The spare battery(s) has to be carried in the passenger cabin."
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium-ion: one spare of up to 300 Wh or two spares of up to 160 Wh each — hence a maximum of 2. Dry-charged and NiMH: maximum two per passenger. Non-spillable liquid: maximum one. Spillable (wet) batteries: no spares permitted at all. All spares travel in the cabin.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
A lithium battery "can either remain in the vehicle if the battery(s) are protected from damage by the vehicle structure and securely attached… or be removed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions"; removal is required where the chair does not protect it. The accessibility page states more strictly that the battery "must be off and replaced [removed]", except for gel-type batteries.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted only with the airline's advance permission: "the passenger should obtain the Airline's permission in advance and provide information about the type of battery installed and the procedure for handling the vehicle (including instructions for isolating the battery)". Each battery must comply with ICAO special provision A67, terminals protected against short circuit; it may stay installed if the vehicle's construction protects it and it is securely attached, otherwise removed into firm packaging. Max one spare per passenger.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted only with the airline's advance permission — "the passenger should obtain the Airline's permission in advance and provide information about the type of battery installed and the procedure for handling the vehicle". The chair must be secured upright with slings or straps, terminals protected against short circuit, vent plugs fitted where possible; if it cannot be held upright the battery is removed into strong, sealed, electrolyte-resistant packaging with absorbent material, marked "BATTERY WET WITH WHEELCHAIR" plus a Corrosive label. No spare batteries.
Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Battery terminals must be insulated to avoid short circuits" and the battery protected from damage, e.g. in a protective case. "Passengers using an electrically-driven wheel chair shall have a set of wrenches/tools to disconnect terminal posts of the battery as well as a package for it as per… ICAO DOC 9284." Disconnection and folding are done by the escort or handling staff at the passenger's request and under supervision.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
At booking you must state in writing the battery type and its capacity/power in watt-hours, the chair's dimensions and weight and details of any spare batteries, and give the airline the battery-isolation/handling procedure. A two-part label is required: one half on the chair showing whether the battery was removed, the other on the removed battery.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum powered-wheelchair size published; you must declare the chair's three dimensions when requesting carriage. The 34 cm figure on the page is the armrest width of Nordwind's on-board aisle chair.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit for a passenger's own powered wheelchair is published. The "max weight allowance is 250 kg" figure on the accessibility page is the capacity of Nordwind's ON-BOARD aisle chair, not a limit on your own chair.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published for powered chairs. "Wheelchair with electric drive is registered at check-in desk and transferred to luggage hold at oversized baggage counter" and the passenger is then taken to the aircraft in an airport-provided chair; Nordwind does not say where the powered chair is returned. Manual chairs are returned right after landing.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
A battery-powered vehicle that cannot be made safe for air transport is refused, and spare batteries are never permitted with a spillable (wet) battery chair.
Manual wheelchairs
"Passenger who use manual drive wheelchair can left it at check-in counter or use it till boarding. Manual wheelchair must be registered as luggage before boarding and passed to aircraft staff at the entrance to the aircraft." If checking in without an escort, it is registered at the oversized-baggage counter.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
A manual wheelchair must be registered as luggage before boarding and handed to staff at the aircraft entrance. Only "crutches, walking stick, folding walkers can be transported in the passenger compartment", close to the passenger's seat.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Wheelchairs are not stowed in the cabin, so no cabin stowage dimensions are published. The 34 cm figure quoted on the page is the width between the armrests of Nordwind's own on-board aisle chair.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum wheelchair size published. Nordwind asks you to state the length, width and height folded (or the actual dimensions if the chair does not fold) when you request carriage.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit for a passenger's own manual wheelchair is published; you are asked to declare its weight when requesting carriage.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Passenger using manual wheelchair with manual control can use it till boarding and receive it right after landing." The chair is handed to aircraft staff at the entrance to the aircraft.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The 136 kg (300 lb) figure on the accessibility page is the body-weight limit for a stretcher patient, not a wheelchair limit.
Booking & cost
"Wheelchair's transportation request can be made: at the point of booking; not less than 48 hours before flight time mentioned in schedule." Airport assistance is requested the same way, by e-mail, at least 48 h ahead. Guide dogs also 48 h; stretcher carriage at least 72 h.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The request must state the chair's weight, its three dimensions (folded, or actual if it does not fold), the presence and technical characteristics of the battery — type and capacity/power in watt-hours — details of any spare batteries, and your phone, fax and e-mail. Arrive at the airport at least 2.5 h before departure and at the gate at least 40 min before the flight.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Wheelchair is transported without extra charge." A guide dog is also carried free.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Nordwind does not publish a limit on the number of mobility devices carried per passenger.
Nothing published specific to mobility aids. Generally: on delay, loss, damage or shortfall you must raise a Property Irregularity Report with Lost & Found before leaving the airport, and if checked baggage is not found within 21 days you may claim compensation from the carrier.
Delayed, lost or damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
"All our aircraft are equipped with onboard wheelchairs for passengers to use for moving around the cabin during level flight. Max weight allowance is 250 kg, width between the armrests is 34 cm." The chair is manoeuvred only by flight attendants and only in horizontal flight.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Our wide-body aircraft feature spacious lavatories with supportive handrails." Nordwind publishes nothing about lavatories on its narrow-body fleet (A321, 737, E190), so accessible facilities are effectively widebody-only.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Airport handling staff board the passenger, using an ambulift where needed, and a flight attendant will accompany a passenger to the lavatory and back including with the on-board wheelchair. But crew "cannot provide… lift and carry of passenger", hygiene or personal care; a passenger needing that must travel with an accompanying adult.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"During booking or online check-in for the Airline's flights, passengers with disabilities may select their seats (excluding emergency exit rows)." "The Carrier takes all reasonable measures in order to allocate next seats on board… for the handicapped passengers… and the passengers, who accompany them." Braille safety cards and a personal safety briefing on request.
Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Nordwind's published safety restriction: "number of passengers with disabilities must not exceed number of healthy passengers on board"; for groups this may be exceeded only with an advance request for specific dates and flights. The airline also reserves the right to refuse a passenger whose condition requires special conditions of carriage or who needs supplemental oxygen in flight.
Worth knowing
One of the more complete Russian-carrier records: Nordwind publishes both a detailed accessibility page and a dangerous-goods page with the full mobility-aid battery table (spillable, non-spillable, dry/NiMH, lithium-ion), so real watt-hour numbers exist — a non-removable lithium battery has no Wh cap, a removed one is capped at 300 Wh in the cabin, and spares are one at 300 Wh or two at 160 Wh. Four things a human should re-check. (1) The assistance e-mail is misprinted on the accessibility page as n4@nordwindairines.ru; the Contacts page shows n4@nordwindairlines.ru. (2) The accessibility page says the battery "must be off and replaced" (a translation of "removed") except for gel batteries, which is stricter than the dangerous-goods page, where a lithium battery may stay installed if the chair protects it — get the answer for your own chair in writing. (3) The same dangerous-goods page gives two different spare limits for non-spillable batteries: "no more than two spare batteries per person" in the general block, "a maximum of one spare battery per passenger" in the wheelchair block. (4) The 250 kg / 34 cm figures on the accessibility page describe Nordwind's on-board aisle chair, not any limit on a passenger's own chair, and could easily be misread. Also note the capacity rule that passengers with disabilities must not outnumber other passengers on board. The main site is bot-walled to plain fetchers; the individual pages listed in sitemap.xml fetch normally.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Passengers with disabilities (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Dangerous goods in baggage — batteries and battery-powered vehicles (wheelchairs) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Contacts (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Delayed, lost or damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Пассажиры с ограниченными возможностями (Russian version) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 5 official sources · 6 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.