wheelair

All airlines Asia Pacific

Singapore Airlines

IATA SQ ICAO SIA Singapore · Star Alliance · www.singaporeair.com (opens in a new tab)

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.

SIA publishes no dedicated disability telephone line; requests go to the local SIA office, the Chat with Kris assistant, or (for US routes) the online special-assistance form. Contact numbers are locale-specific — the same /contact-us/ page shows a different contact centre for each country selection.

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.

Powered chairs accepted
Conditional

Electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other battery-powered assistive devices are carried, but "Airline approval is required for all battery powered wheelchair/assistive devices" and SIA must be contacted at least 48 hours before departure. Carriage is also limited by the per-aircraft bulk-hold dimensions (A380 2.47 m x 0.65 m x 0.60 m is the tightest). Personal transportation devices (mini-Segway, hoverboard, solowheel, airwheel, balance wheel) are banned outright, removable battery or not.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage restrictions — lithium batteries and restricted items (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Lithium-ion batteries
Conditional

Accepted only with airline approval and UN38.3 certification: "Airline approval is required for all battery powered wheelchair/assistive devices"; "Lithium batteries powering mobility aids must meet all test requirements specified in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3... lithium batteries for mobility aids without UN38.3 certification will not be accepted for carriage." Proof may be requested at reservation and at check-in.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Watt-hour cap — battery stays in the chair
Not published

No cap published for a battery that stays on the aid. SIA's rule is that batteries "that are securely attached and can be adequately protected from damage, should remain on the mobility aid", with no watt-hour figure attached; its 300 Wh / 160 Wh numbers are written for REMOVED and SPARE batteries.

Watt-hour cap — battery removed into the cabin
300 Wh

"Removed battery(ries) must not exceed 300Wh for a single battery powered mobility aid or 160Wh each for a 2-battery powered mobility aid." Removed batteries must be protected from damage (e.g. in a protective pouch/bag) and carried as cabin baggage. SIA also gives the formula Wh = Ah x V.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Watt-hour cap — spare battery
300 Wh

"Spare battery(ies) must not exceed 300Wh for a single battery powered mobility aid or 160Wh each for a 2-battery powered mobility aid." SIA also gives the formula Wh = Ah × V.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Spare batteries permittedmaximum number under any published configuration
Not published

Not published for mobility aids — SIA caps the Wh rating of spares (300 Wh, or 160 Wh each on a two-battery aid) but states no maximum number. Its general lithium limits (max 20 spare batteries; max 2 spares of 100–160 Wh) are written for consumer electronics and power banks, not mobility aids.

Battery must be removed
Conditional

Only where the battery cannot be protected: "Battery(ries) that are securely attached and can be adequately protected from damage, should remain on the mobility aid… Battery(ries) that are unable to be protected from damage, shall be removed… Removed battery(ries) must be protected from damage for example by placing in a protective pouch/bag and carried as cabin baggage." The aid must be switched off and protected from accidental activation.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Non-spillable batteriesgel, AGM, sealed lead-acid, dry cell
Conditional

Accepted, but "Airline approval is required for all battery powered wheelchair/assistive devices". Non-spillable wet / dry cell: "Batteries that are securely attached and can be adequately protected from damage, should remain on the mobility aid. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit for example by being enclosed within a battery container. The removed battery(ies) to be in strong rigid packaging and protected from damage."

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Wet / spillable batteries
Conditional

Accepted, but "Airline approval is required for all battery powered wheelchair/assistive devices" and SIA must be contacted at least 48 hours before departure. Handling: "Batteries that are securely attached and can be adequately protected from damage, should remain on the mobility aid. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit... The removed battery(ies) to be in strong rigid packaging and surrounded by compatible absorbent material."

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Baggage restrictions — lithium batteries and restricted items (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Terminal protection & immobilisation
Yes

"The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit for example by being enclosed within a battery container" (non-spillable and spillable). Removed lithium batteries go in a protective pouch/bag; removed spillable batteries need strong rigid packaging surrounded by compatible absorbent material.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Paperwork the airline wants
UN 38.3 test certification for lithium batteries — "proof that the batteries meet the requirements may be requested at both reservation and check-in"; airline approval required

Lithium batteries powering mobility aids must meet UN Manual of Tests and Criteria Part III sub-section 38.3; batteries without UN38.3 certification "will not be accepted for carriage". Proof may be demanded at booking and again at check-in. No MSDS or separate airline form is published.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Size limit for a powered chairUsable hold compartment — not a stated chair limit
109 cm long · 65 cm wide · 60 cm high

Same bulk-hold table as for manual chairs — "Dimensions of Cargo Hold (Bulk)", column "Cargo Hold (Bulk) Maximum Dimension for Wheelchair (L x W x H)". It is the compartment volume, not a published maximum chair size. Smallest values across the fleet: length 1.09 m (B737-8), width 0.65 m and height 0.60 m (A380). Check your actual aircraft type against aircraft_hold_note.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Weight limit for a powered chair
Not published

Not published per wheelchair. SIA's "Cargo Hold (Bulk) Maximum Allowable Load" column (763–4,080 kg by aircraft type) is the hold's total capacity, not a per-device limit.

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published. SIA describes assistance "from disembarkation to the arrival hall" but does not state whether a checked electric wheelchair is returned at the aircraft door or in the baggage hall.

Airline approval is required for every battery-powered wheelchair or assistive device; contact SIA at least 48 hours before departure. Groups of 10 or more wheelchair users must also give 48 hours' notice.

Manual wheelchairs

Manual chairs accepted
Yes

"If you're using your own mobility aid such as a manual or electric wheelchair or other assistive devices such as a mobility scooter…" — carried as checked baggage in the cargo hold at no charge, subject to the per-aircraft hold dimensions.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Folding chair may travel in the cabin
No

No cabin-stowage provision is published for a folding manual chair: "If you are using your own wheelchair or other assistive device, they will have to be stored in our cargo hold as checked baggage"; elsewhere "we may require them to be stored in the aircraft's cargo hold as checked baggage due to limited cabin space".

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

In-cabin stowage limit
Not published

Not applicable / not published: SIA does not offer in-cabin stowage of a passenger's own chair — "If you are using your own wheelchair or other assistive device, they will have to be stored in our cargo hold as checked baggage."

Size limit for a checked manual chairUsable hold compartment — not a stated chair limit
109 cm long · 65 cm wide · 60 cm high

Bulk-hold volume, not a stated chair limit. Section heading "Dimensions of Cargo Hold (Bulk)": "you may refer to the table below on the relevant dimensions of our cargo hold of each of our aircraft types"; the column reads "Cargo Hold (Bulk) Maximum Dimension for Wheelchair (L x W x H)". Smallest figures across the fleet: length 1.09 m (B737-8), width 0.65 m and height 0.60 m (A380). No single aircraft is this tight in all three axes — see aircraft_hold_note.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Weight limit for a manual chair
Not published

Not published per wheelchair. The "Cargo Hold (Bulk) Maximum Allowable Load" figures SIA publishes (763 kg on the B737-8 up to 4,080 kg on the B777-300ER) are the total load capacity of the bulk hold, not a limit on a single mobility aid.

Returned at the aircraft door
Not published

Not published. SIA states only that "upon arrival at your destination, assistance will be provided from disembarkation to the arrival hall"; it does not say whether your own wheelchair is returned at the aircraft door or in the baggage hall.

SIA advises checking in 2–3 hours before departure and allowing extra transit time on connections. Passengers requiring mobility assistance may be asked to board ahead of other passengers and disembark last. For onward connections on other airlines you must check that carrier's own mobility-aid restrictions; SIA flags Lufthansa Group's tightened battery-powered mobility-aid rules effective 1 October 2025.

Booking & cost

Advance notice requiredhours before scheduled departure
48h

"If your wheelchair is powered by a battery, or if you're travelling in a group of 10 or more passengers who use wheelchairs, please contact Singapore Airlines at least 48 hours before your flight departs." Also "requests made within 48 hours to departure or on the day of travel may result in a delay in the assistance being provided". Special seating devices (Crelling harness, MERU chair) and medical clearance need 5 working days.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Disability assistance — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Medical information — medical clearance and MEDIF (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

How to request assistance
Contact your local Singapore Airlines office at least 48 h before departure; to/from the USA use the online special-assistance form; battery-powered chairs additionally need airline approval

"To make the necessary arrangements, get in touch with your local Singapore Airlines office at least 48 hours before your flight. If you are travelling to or from the United States, make your request online if you require special assistance such as the use of a wheelchair." "Airline approval is required for all battery powered wheelchair/assistive devices."

Disability assistance — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Get help — Special assistance request form (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Charge for carrying the aid
No fee

"These mobility aids and other assistive devices do not count towards your free baggage allowance and will be checked in at no additional charge."

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Mobility devices carried free
Not published

Not published. SIA says mobility aids and assistive devices are checked free of charge and outside the baggage allowance, but does not state how many devices one passenger may carry.

If they damage your chair
Report damage in writing within 7 days; compensation follows the mishandled-baggage guidelines, capped at 1,519 SDR per passenger under the Montreal Convention unless a higher value was declared

"If your wheelchair or other assistive device is damaged, you must inform us or our airline partner of the damage in writing within 7 days… Singapore Airlines' liability is limited in accordance with our General Conditions of Carriage… the Warsaw Convention or Montreal Convention." CoC: 1,519 SDR (≈EUR 1,900) for checked and unchecked baggage under Montreal; 17 SDR/kg checked and 332 SDR unchecked under Warsaw. No mobility-aid full-value rule is published.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Delayed or damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

On board

On-board aisle chair
Yes

"Each of our wide-body aircraft is equipped with an on-board wheelchair. If you are travelling on a narrow-body aircraft, please contact Singapore Airlines to request for an on-board wheelchair." (The B737-8 is SIA's only narrow-body type in the published hold table.)

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Accessible lavatory
Not published

Not published. SIA says cabin crew "will assist you with the on-board wheelchair and to the lavatory during your flight", but makes no statement about wheelchair-accessible lavatories on any aircraft type. Crew cannot assist inside the restroom.

Crew help you transfer
Yes

"Our cabin crew are trained to assist if you are unable to move by yourself from the on-board wheelchair to/from your seat", and will assist you to the lavatory. SIA will NOT assist with feeding, with anything inside the restroom or with defecation/urination at the seat, or provide medical services — a personal care assistant is required for those.

Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Disability assistance — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Seating & movable armrests
Special seating arranged on request via the local SIA office or airport ground staff; emergency exit row seats are not available

"For passengers who need special seating arrangements, we will be happy to assist you. However, seats in the emergency exit row are not available due to flight safety requirements." SIA publishes nothing about movable armrests or designated bulkhead seating; it invites passengers to contact it "to find out which seat will best meet your needs".

Disability assistance — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29  Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Fleet detail. SIA publishes a per-aircraft "Cargo Hold (Bulk) Maximum Dimension for Wheelchair (L × W × H)" table: A350-900ULR and A350-900 — 1.65 m × 0.85 m × 0.70 m (64.96" × 33.46" × 27.55"), hold load 1,500 kg; A380 — 2.47 m × 0.65 m × 0.60 m (97.24" × 25.59" × 23.62"), 2,514 kg; B737-8 — 1.09 m × 1.22 m × 0.78 m (42.91" × 48.03" × 30.70"), 763 kg; B777-300ER — 3.12 m × 0.84 m × 1.01 m (122.83" × 33.07" × 39.76"), 4,080 kg; B787-10 — 2.41 m × 0.89 m × 1.11 m (94.88" × 35.04" × 43.70"), 2,735 kg. The A380 is tightest for width and height (0.65 m × 0.60 m) and the B737-8 shortest for length (1.09 m). The kg figures are the hold's maximum allowable load, NOT a limit on one wheelchair.

Worth knowing

SIA's Mobility aids page is unusually detailed: a per-aircraft maximum wheelchair dimension table for the bulk hold plus a full battery matrix (lithium / non-spillable wet or dry cell / spillable wet). Things to watch or re-check: (1) the A380's 0.65 m × 0.60 m aperture is the binding constraint — a rigid power chair that clears the B777-300ER may not clear the A380; (2) SIA does not publish whether a checked chair is returned at the aircraft door, so gate delivery is unconfirmed; (3) no cabin stowage of a folding manual chair is offered — own wheelchairs "will have to be stored in our cargo hold"; (4) lithium batteries without UN 38.3 certification are refused outright, with proof demandable at reservation and at check-in; (5) no maximum number of spare batteries is published for mobility aids; (6) crew will assist transfers between the on-board wheelchair and the seat but not with feeding, toileting or medical care — a personal care assistant is required; (7) no accessible-lavatory statement is published anywhere on the site; (8) SIA warns interline passengers about Lufthansa Group's new battery-powered mobility-aid restrictions from 1 October 2025. Contact-page content is locale-specific; the US listing (+1 833 727-0118) is the only TTY/TDD-compatible line published.

Sources

Every figure above traces to one of these.

  1. s1 Mobility aids — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  2. s2 Disability assistance — Special assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  3. s3 Special assistance (index) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  4. s4 Baggage restrictions — lithium batteries and restricted items (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  5. s5 General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  6. s6 Delayed or damaged baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  7. s7 Contact us — Singapore (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  8. s8 Contact us — United States (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  9. s9 Contact us — United Kingdom (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  10. s10 Contact us — Australia (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  11. s11 Get help — Special assistance request form (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  12. s12 Medical information — medical clearance and MEDIF (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
  13. s13 Disability assistance (US site) — US Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29

Record quality

Record status researched · confidence high · 13 official sources · 11 contacts · 76% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.