Smartavia

IATA 5N ICAO AUL Russian Federation · flysmartavia.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.

Phone

+7 495 970 00 55

Russia — Smartavia call centre (free for subscribers)
Phone

+7 809 505 66 99

Russia — Smartavia call centre (paid, 'from 70 rubles/min without VAT')
Online form

Wheelchair notification form (embedded in the wheelchair FAQ): wheelchair weight, length/width/height, electric yes/no, battery type and capacity, escort and wheelchair needs (opens in a new tab)
Online form

Feedback form — the written channel the Rules name for assistance requests (opens in a new tab)
Relay / text

Rules 9.8.1 lists 'social networks and messengers listed on the Airline's official website' as a valid channel for notifying the airline of assistance needs; the site footer links MAX, Telegram and VK support chats.

Text chat support — MAX, Telegram and VK (not a TTY/text-relay service)

No special-assistance e-mail address is published: Smartavia routes assistance requests to the booking channel, the call centre, the feedback form, its sales offices/agencies, or its messenger chats (MAX, Telegram, VK). The wheelchair FAQ carries a purpose-built form that asks for the chair's weight, folded dimensions and battery type/capacity — the single most useful accessibility link on the site. Passengers with limited mobility cannot check in online; check-in is at the airport counter only, without queuing.

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

Accepted, but only as checked baggage and only with the airline's prior agreement. Rules 10.2: 'Electrically powered wheelchairs are accepted for carriage exclusively as checked baggage at the check-in counter at the departure airport.' 10.3: the passenger 'must provide the Airline with information in advance about the type of battery installed and the handling procedures'. The lithium-battery leaflet's first step is 'Notify the airline and obtain permission for carriage', and the FAQ adds that lithium batteries over 100 Wh 'require special approval'.

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Правила перевозки литиевых батарей / Rules for transporting lithium batteries (PDF, Russian) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Lithium-ion batteries

Yes

Rules 10.5.5. The battery must pass UN Manual of Tests and Criteria III.38.3. Installed where the chair design protects it adequately (battery protected and securely attached, circuits insulated by the passenger); otherwise removed, protected from damage with terminals protected against short circuit, and carried in the cabin.

Watt-hour cap — battery stays in the chair

Not published

Not published. Smartavia sets no watt-hour cap for a lithium battery that stays installed in the chair — Rules 10.5.5 requires only UN 38.3 compliance, adequate protection by the chair's design, secure attachment and insulated circuits. The lithium-battery leaflet's ban on batteries over 160 Wh expressly excepts 'wheelchairs or similar mobility devices used by passengers with reduced mobility'.

Watt-hour cap — battery removed into the cabin

300 Wh

Rules 10.5.5: 'the removed battery is carried in the aircraft cabin. Its energy capacity must not exceed 300 Wh.' The lithium-battery leaflet says the same: if the device/wheelchair has a removable battery (e.g. a folding chair) 'the battery must be removed and placed in hand luggage (if the energy capacity is not more than 300 Wh)', protected against short circuit by taping the terminal and packed to prevent damage.

Watt-hour cap — spare battery

300 Wh

Rules 10.5.5: 'only one spare battery with an energy capacity of not more than 300 Wh, or two spare batteries, each with an energy capacity not exceeding 160 Wh, is permitted. Carriage is permitted only in the aircraft cabin.' The lithium-battery leaflet repeats the same figures.

Spare batteries permittedmaximum number under any published configuration

Maximum count: one spare of up to 300 Wh OR two spares of up to 160 Wh each, cabin only (Rules 10.5.5). The limit is lower for other chemistries: no more than one spare non-spillable battery (10.5.1), no more than two NiMH or dry batteries (10.5.2–10.5.3), and for a spillable battery 'carriage of spare batteries is not permitted' (10.5.4).

Battery must be removed

Conditional

Depends on the chair's design. Rules 10.5: the battery stays installed 'if the wheelchair design provides adequate battery protection'; it must be removed by the passenger 'if the wheelchair design does not provide adequate battery protection' (and for a spillable battery also if the chair cannot be kept upright). A removed lithium battery goes in the cabin, up to 300 Wh. CAUTION: the PRM page states more simply that lithium-powered chairs 'are transported only in registered baggage… with the battery securely attached to the wheelchair'.

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Правила перевозки литиевых батарей / Rules for transporting lithium batteries (PDF, Russian) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Passengers with limited mobility — Support for Passengers with Special Needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

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

Yes

Rules 10.5.1–10.5.3. Non-spillable (special provision A67, no free liquid), nickel-metal hydride (A199) and dry-charged (A123) batteries are accepted: installed if the chair design protects the battery adequately, with the battery securely attached and electrical circuits insulated; otherwise removed and placed in robust rigid packaging. Spares: no more than one non-spillable, or no more than two NiMH/dry batteries. The wheelchair page adds that the battery must be disconnected and the terminal insulated.

Wet / spillable batteries

Yes

Rules 10.5.4. The battery should have vent plugs. It may stay installed if the chair design protects it adequately; it must be removed if it does not, or if the chair cannot be kept upright, and then packed in leak-tight, electrolyte-resistant, tip-protected rigid packaging, upright, with enough absorbent material for the whole electrolyte volume, labelled 'BATTERY, WET, WITH WHEELCHAIR' or 'BATTERY, WET, WITH MOBILITY AID' plus the Corrosive and This-way-up labels. No spare batteries permitted.

Terminal protection & immobilisation

Yes

Rules 10.4: terminals must be protected from short circuits, the aid prepared so it cannot activate unintentionally, and electrical circuits isolated; a removed battery goes in robust rigid packaging. The wheelchair page: the battery must be disconnected, the terminal insulated and the battery securely fastened to the chair. Passengers 'must have with them a set of keys/tools for disconnecting the wheelchair battery terminals'; the handling company can do it on request.

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Transportation of children's strollers and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Passengers with limited mobility — Support for Passengers with Special Needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Paperwork the airline wants

Yes

Advance information is mandatory: Rules 10.3 — the passenger 'must provide the Airline with information in advance about the type of battery installed and the handling procedures', and 'at the Airline's request, the passenger must confirm the battery type and its characteristics'. Carrying the papers is recommended: 'documents for the wheelchair (passport, manufacturer's instructions, etc.)'; the FAQ says 'We recommend carrying the battery passport or instructions specifying its capacity.'

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Size limit for a powered chair

Not published

Not published. No powered-chair dimension limit and no hold-door table; the notification form asks the passenger for the folded length, width and height instead.

Weight limit for a powered chair

Not published

Not published. Smartavia states no weight limit for a powered chair; the notification form only asks for its weight.

Returned at the aircraft door

Not published

Not published, and the check-in process points the other way: an electric chair is 'accepted for carriage exclusively as checked baggage at the check-in counter at the departure airport' and 'the passenger will be transported to the aircraft in a wheelchair provided by the airport'. Smartavia does not say where the chair is returned on arrival.

Note a genuine inconsistency between pages. The Rules (s.10.5.5) and the lithium leaflet both allow — indeed require — a removable lithium battery to be taken out and carried in the cabin up to 300 Wh, while the Passengers with limited mobility page says lithium chairs 'are transported only in registered baggage… with the battery securely attached to the wheelchair', and the wheelchair FAQ quotes the general PED thresholds instead ('more than 100 Wh require special approval… up to 160 Wh may be carried in hand luggage'). The Rules and the leaflet are the specific, more recent mobility-aid texts; confirm your own chair with the airline in writing.

Manual wheelchairs

Manual chairs accepted

Yes

Rules 4.1.2 allows a folding wheelchair in the cabin if it fits safely; 4.1.10 and the wheelchair page require one that does not fit to be checked as baggage free of charge, in excess of the allowance. Notification in advance is expected so the airline can prepare.

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Transportation of children's strollers and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Folding chair may travel in the cabin

Yes

Rules 4.1.2: a folding wheelchair, crutches, a walking stick, a tactile cane, folding walkers/rollators and packaged limb prostheses may be carried in the cabin in addition to the carry-on allowance, provided they have 'dimensions that allow them to be safely placed in the aircraft cabin on an overhead bin or under the seat in front of the passenger'.

In-cabin stowage limit

Not published

No numeric in-cabin limit for a wheelchair. Rules 4.1.2 states only that the aid must have 'dimensions that allow [it] to be safely placed in the aircraft cabin on an overhead bin or under the seat in front of the passenger'. The 40×30×20 cm / 10 kg sizer in Rules 4.1.7 is the ordinary carry-on limit and the mobility aid is an extra item, not measured against it.

Size limit for a checked manual chair

Not published

Not published. No maximum wheelchair size and no hold-door table. The only published test is functional — a folding chair goes in the cabin if it fits safely in an overhead bin or under the seat in front, otherwise it is checked free of charge (Rules 4.1.2, 4.1.10). The notification form asks the passenger for the chair's folded length, width and height.

Weight limit for a manual chair

Not published

Not published. Smartavia sets no weight limit for a wheelchair and states no exemption threshold; the notification form simply asks for the chair's weight in kg so the airline can plan.

Returned at the aircraft door

Not published

Not published for wheelchairs. The chair is surrendered at the check-in counter and 'the passenger will be transported to the aircraft in a wheelchair provided by the airport'; Smartavia does not say where the chair is returned on arrival. By contrast the stroller rule is explicit — a stroller is usable to the boarding ramp and 'if there is special labeling (DAA tag), the stroller will be handed over at the aircraft's boarding area'.

A companion is mandatory in two published cases (Rules / PRM page): a passenger with simultaneous visual and hearing impairment, and a disabled child under 12. Smartavia may refuse carriage on the basis of a medical examination if flying could worsen the passenger's health or endanger others. Passengers with limited mobility board first and disembark last, are served at check-in without queuing, and — under Article 106.1 of the Russian Air Code, quoted in Rules 9.8.1 — cannot be required to produce documents proving their disability.

Booking & cost

Advance notice requiredhours before scheduled departure

48h

'Please inform us about the carriage of your wheelchair no later than 48 hours before departure. This will allow us to prepare everything necessary for a comfortable and safe transfer.' The Rules themselves are less precise: 2.5.7 and 9.8.1 require notification 'when purchasing a ticket' without stating hours, and 10.3 requires the battery type and handling procedure to be given 'in advance'.

FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

How to request assistance

Notify Smartavia at booking, or at least 48 h before departure — via the wheelchair form on the site, the call centre, a sales office/agency, or the airline's messengers

The wheelchair FAQ: 'Write to us via any official written communication channel or fill out the form. Call the call centre. Visit our sales office or an agency in your city.' Rules 9.8.1 lists the same channels and adds the feedback form and messengers. The escort service / wheelchair can also be selected when buying the ticket or afterwards in 'My reservations'. Have the chair's weight, folded dimensions and battery capacity in Wh ready.

Charge for carrying the aid

No fee

'Passengers with reduced mobility may carry their wheelchair free of charge.' Rules 4.1.10: 'A folding wheelchair with dimensions that do not allow it to be safely placed in the aircraft cabin must be checked in as baggage free of charge, i.e., in excess of the established allowance.' Airport assistance, escort, ambulift and loan wheelchairs are also provided 'without additional charge' (Rules 9.8.3).

FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Transportation of children's strollers and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Mobility devices carried free

Not published

No number is published. Rules 4.1.2 lists the aids that travel in the cabin in addition to the carry-on allowance — 'crutches, a folding wheelchair, a walking stick, a tactile cane, folding walkers, including folding rollators, prostheses of upper and lower limbs in packaging' — but never caps how many mobility devices one passenger may bring.

If they damage your chair

No liability figure is published for mobility aids; if the passenger's own aid is lost or damaged in carriage the airport must supply a wheelchair for temporary use free of charge

Rules 9.8.3 requires, without additional charge, 'provision of a wheelchair for temporary use to a passenger with disabilities… in case of delay in delivery to the destination airport or a transit airport of the special mobility aid belonging to the passenger… or in case of loss or damage (spoilage) of this aid during air carriage'. Section 7 of the Rules sets out the claims procedure, but no mobility-aid liability limit or full-value rule was found on the pages checked.

On board

On-board aisle chair

Yes

Passengers with limited mobility page, 'Onboard': 'A wheelchair for temporary use on board is provided upon request to the flight attendant regarding the need for this service.' No aircraft exceptions are stated.

Passengers with limited mobility — Support for Passengers with Special Needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Accessible lavatory

Not published

Not published. Smartavia does not describe an accessible or wheelchair-accessible lavatory on any of its aircraft.

Crew help you transfer

Yes

Airport assistance is provided free of charge: escort within the airport, help at check-in, security, border and customs, boarding and disembarkation 'including with the use of a special lifting device (ambulift)… for passengers who are unable to move independently', and baggage collection (Rules 9.8.3). Boarding is first and disembarkation last, and an escort service can be ordered at booking, in 'My reservations', via the call centre or the feedback form.

Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Passengers with limited mobility — Support for Passengers with Special Needs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 FAQ — I want to order an escort service. How to do it? (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Seating & movable armrests

Passenger and companion are seated together free of charge on request; passengers with limited mobility are not seated at emergency exits and must check in at the airport counter

Seating FAQ (Russian): Smartavia blocks several seats for PRMs travelling with a companion, asks for a written request naming both passengers plus supporting documents, and states that 'for passengers with reduced mobility and their companions the seat-selection service is provided free of charge — you must not pay for seats'. Online check-in is not available to them; check-in is at the airport desk. Rules 2.5.5 bars from emergency-exit rows any passenger whose physical or mental condition prevents quick action in an evacuation; exit-row and first-row armrests are fixed.

FAQ (Russian) — Я маломобильный пассажир и лечу с сопровождающим. Посадят ли нас вместе? (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29

Fleet detail. No hold-door aperture, hold volume or maximum wheelchair size is published. The operative rules are procedural rather than dimensional: an electric wheelchair is 'accepted for carriage exclusively as checked baggage at the check-in counter at the departure airport' (Rules 10.2), and a folding manual chair travels in the cabin only if it has 'dimensions that allow [it] to be safely placed in the aircraft cabin on an overhead bin or under the seat in front of the passenger', otherwise it 'must be checked in as baggage free of charge' (Rules 4.1.2, 4.1.10). Smartavia asks for the chair's folded dimensions on its notification form rather than publishing a limit.

Worth knowing

One of the more complete small-carrier policies: Smartavia publishes a dedicated PRM page, a wheelchair baggage page, a purpose-built wheelchair notification form (weight, folded dimensions, battery type and Wh), and a full ICAO Doc 9284-style battery table in section 10 of its Rules of Carriage, chemistry by chemistry. Headline: chair carried free in excess of the allowance, 48 hours' notice, powered chairs checked at the counter with the airline's prior agreement, removed lithium battery in the cabin up to 300 Wh, one 300 Wh spare or two of 160 Wh, and an on-board wheelchair available on request to the cabin crew. Four things for a human to re-check. (1) The 300 Wh removed/spare figures come from Rules 10.5.5 and the Russian lithium-battery PDF, while the English wheelchair FAQ quotes the general PED thresholds (over 100 Wh needs approval, up to 160 Wh in hand luggage) — the two read very differently to a traveller. (2) The PRM page says lithium chairs travel 'only in registered baggage… with the battery securely attached', which conflicts with the Rules' removal-and-cabin requirement for chairs that do not protect the battery. (3) No liability figure for a damaged mobility aid was found anywhere. (4) The airline is under EU/UK/US sanctions-driven isolation and flies a domestic Russian network; the ru pages are the authoritative text and the English pages are translations that lag them.

Sources

Every figure above traces to one of these.

s1 Passengers with limited mobility — Support for Passengers with Special Needs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s2 Transportation of children's strollers and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s3 FAQ — Can I transport a wheelchair or other means of transportation for free? (includes the wheelchair notification form) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s4 Rules for the carriage of passengers and baggage — s.2.5.5 seating, s.4.1 carry-on, s.9.8 passengers with limited mobility, s.10 Rules for Carrying Electrically Powered Wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s5 Правила перевозки литиевых батарей / Rules for transporting lithium batteries (PDF, Russian) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s6 FAQ — I want to order an escort service. How to do it? (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s7 FAQ (Russian) — Я маломобильный пассажир и лечу с сопровождающим. Посадят ли нас вместе? (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
s8 FAQ — Can you take batteries on a plane? (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29

Record status researched · confidence high · 8 official sources · 5 contacts · 71% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.

Smartavia

Who to contact

Read it from the source

Powered wheelchairs & batteries

Manual wheelchairs

Booking & cost

On board

Worth knowing

Sources

Record quality