All airlines Europe
SWISS
Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 48 h notice · 160 Wh installed-battery cap.
- Advance notice
- 48hours before departure
- Powered wheelchair
- Conditional
- Lithium, battery installed
- 160watt-hours maximum
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhoneUSA — SWISS Customer Service, Uniondale NY (route for CRO/ACAA matters)
- EmailBattery-powered wheelchair / electric mobility device approval
- Online form
- Relay / textWithin the US, first dial 711 and then +1 (516) 738-4422 to reach SWISS via the Telecommunications Relay Service.TTY / US text relay (TRS)
SWISS says its Complaint Resolution Officials are available at all its US destinations and in Zurich and Geneva; the US Customer Relations page instead names Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf as the European CRO locations. No dedicated accessibility telephone line is published on swiss.com — bookings and questions from passengers with restricted mobility are routed to the general Service Centre.
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 "an airline transport approval is required for wheelchairs and mobility aids". Restrictions apply to battery power, total weight and the dimensions of the device; the Electric mobility device information form plus the manufacturer's datasheet must be sent at least 48 h before departure.
Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted only with SWISS's prior approval: "An airline transport approval is required for wheelchairs and mobility aids." Two categories: WCLX (removable battery) and WCLB (battery permanently installed by the manufacturer's design). A permanently installed, non-removable lithium battery is subject to "a limit of a maximum of two batteries, each with a capacity of up to 160 Wh". Send the manufacturer's technical datasheet or manual no later than 48 hours before departure.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Permanently installed / non-removable battery (WCLB): "a limit of max. 2 batteries with max. 160 Wh each", and the battery must be protected from damage and secured by the device's design. SWISS states this limit applies from 1 October 2025.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Removable batteries (WCLX) and spares must be carried in the passenger cabin, with a choice of limits: "either max. 2 batteries up to 300 Wh each, incl. 1 spare battery" OR "max. 4 batteries up to 160 Wh each, incl. max. 2 spare batteries".
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
A spare is counted inside the removable-battery limits: up to 300 Wh if the total is 2 batteries (1 of them a spare), or up to 160 Wh each if the total is 4 batteries (max 2 spares).
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Lithium: 1 spare under the 2 x 300 Wh option, or up to 2 spares under the 4 x 160 Wh option. Non-spillable: max 1 spare wet non-spillable battery, or 2 spare NiMH/dry-cell batteries.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Depends on battery type. Removable lithium batteries and their spares "must be carried in the passenger cabin"; batteries permanently installed by the manufacturer's design stay in the chair. Removed and spare non-spillable/dry-cell batteries are accepted in checked baggage only.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Accepted only with SWISS's prior approval: "An airline transport approval is required for wheelchairs and mobility aids." Non-spillable or dry-cell batteries (code WCBD) — gel, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, sealed lead-acid — are capped at max. 12 V / 100 Wh per battery, max. 2 replacement batteries; removed and spare batteries of this type travel in checked baggage only. Manufacturer's technical datasheet to SWISS no later than 48 h before departure.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SWISS's own "Electric mobility aid information form" (swiss.com) lists the Lufthansa Group battery codes. Spillable wet-cell battery (code WCBW): "Only accepted as checked baggage provided the device can be loaded, stowed, secured and unloaded always in an upright position."
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Permanently installed batteries "must be protected from damage and secured by the design of the device". For batteries carried loose in the cabin SWISS requires terminals to be individually insulated — original packaging, adhesive tape over exposed terminals, or each battery in its own plastic or protective bag. Recharging on board is not permitted.
Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The manufacturer's technical datasheet or manual must be sent with the completed Electric mobility device information form (manufacturer, model, weight, length/width/height, battery type, number of batteries and Wh rating) at least 48 h before departure. Carry the completed form, printed or digital, for the whole journey.
Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Cargo-door apertures, not a stated maximum chair size: smallest is the Embraer E90/E95 at 114 cm wide x 78-88 cm high. A220-100/-300 118/83 cm; A320/321 182/124 cm; A330-343 and A340-313 270/168 cm; B777-300 246/170 cm; E290/E295 118/90 cm.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Weight restrictions are in place on Embraer fleet: 80 kg and A220-100/A220-300: 149 kg." No figure published for the A320/A321, A330, A340 or B777 fleets.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The wheelchair is "either returned to you immediately or no later than at the baggage carousel" on arrival; if it goes to the carousel you are taken there in an airport wheelchair. Immediate return is not possible at Catania, Hanover, Nuremberg, Olbia, Palermo, Rotterdam, Stuttgart and Valencia.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
From 1 October 2025 wheelchairs and other mobility aids with a permanently installed, non-removable lithium battery are limited to a maximum of two batteries of up to 160 Wh each. Bookings confirmed before 1 October 2025, or trips started before that date, are still carried under the old rule. SWISS's outright ban on battery-powered personal transportation devices (e-scooters, hoverboards, Segways, electric strollers) is a separate section and does not cover wheelchairs and mobility aids.
Manual wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are carried; up to two per passenger free of charge, with priority boarding for passengers with disabilities.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published on swiss.com. The accessible-travel page describes wheelchairs being carried and returned at the aircraft or the baggage carousel, and says nothing about stowing a folding manual chair in the cabin.
No in-cabin wheelchair stowage dimensions are published on swiss.com.
SWISS publishes cargo-door apertures, not a maximum chair size. Smallest door is the Embraer E90/E95 at 114 cm wide x 78-88 cm high (44.8 in x 30.7-34.6 in). Full table: A220-100/-300 118/83 cm; A320/321 182/124 cm; A330-343 and A340-313 270/168 cm; B777-300 246/170 cm; E290/E295 118/90 cm.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Published as fleet loading limits for mobility devices: "Weight restrictions are in place on Embraer fleet: 80 kg and A220-100/A220-300: 149 kg." No figure is published for the A320/A321, A330, A340 or B777 fleets.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"When you arrive at your destination airport your wheelchair will either be returned to you immediately or no later than at the baggage carousel." Immediate return after disembarkation is not possible at Catania, Hanover, Nuremberg, Olbia, Palermo, Rotterdam, Stuttgart and Valencia.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SWISS recommends arriving at the check-in desk 90 minutes before the latest check-in time. Passengers with disabilities get priority boarding.
Booking & cost
Assistance must be requested "no later than 48 hours before departure"; for a battery-powered wheelchair the completed Electric mobility device information form and the manufacturer's technical datasheet/manual must reach SWISS "no later than 48 hours before departure". SWISS also asks passengers to book at least two days ahead.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Passenger request for special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SWISS asks passengers with restricted mobility to contact the Service Centre for bookings and seat reservations, and offers an online special-assistance form. Battery-powered wheelchairs additionally need the Electric mobility device information form sent to specialcases@swiss.com for safety checking.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Passenger request for special assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"We will carry up to two wheelchairs and assistance dogs at no extra charge."
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"We will carry up to two wheelchairs ... at no extra charge."
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SWISS publishes US-style mishandled-mobility-device rules: choice of repair/replacement with a device of comparable function and safety at SWISS's expense, or repair through your preferred vendor paid directly by SWISS; a loaner chair matching your function and safety needs (or reimbursement of your own loaner within 30 days); and reimbursement of airport transport costs if the device is delayed. Complaint Resolution Officials handle disputes.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Customer Relations USA — Complaint Resolution Official (CRO) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
"We provide an onboard wheelchair on all long-haul flights and on short-haul flights on request. These wheelchairs fit along the aisle of the aircraft."
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"At present 5 out of our 12 Airbus A330-300 aircraft are fitted with wheelchair-accessible toilets." No other SWISS aircraft type is listed as having one.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Cabin crew help stow hand baggage and "assist wheelchair users to get to the lavatory and back", and will help unpack and identify food. Crew cannot provide medical services, assistance inside the toilet, or help with eating and drinking.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Seats on all our aircraft are fitted with removable armrests." Emergency-exit-row seats cannot be offered to passengers with disabilities for safety reasons. An extra adjacent seat can be booked through the Service Centre.
Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Cargo-door apertures published by SWISS (width x height): A220-100 118/83 cm (46.5/32.6 in); A220-300 118/83 cm (46.5/32.7 in); A320/321 182/124 cm (71.6/48.8 in); A330-343 270/168 cm (106.3/66.1 in); A340-313 270/168 cm (106.3/66.1 in); B777-300 246/170 cm (96.9/66.9 in); Embraer E290/E295 118/90 cm (46.5/35.4 in); Embraer E90/E95 114/78-88 cm (44.8/30.7-34.6 in). Weight restrictions: Embraer fleet 80 kg; A220-100/A220-300 149 kg.
Worth knowing
SWISS is a Lufthansa Group member but publishes its own mobility-aid rules on swiss.com; every value here comes from a swiss.com page or a swiss.com-hosted PDF. Watch the two-tier lithium rule: a REMOVABLE battery may be up to 300 Wh (2 batteries incl. 1 spare) or 160 Wh (4 batteries incl. 2 spares), while a PERMANENTLY INSTALLED battery is capped at 2 x 160 Wh from 1 October 2025 — a heavy power chair with a fixed 300 Wh+ pack is therefore no longer accepted. Transport approval is mandatory: form to specialcases@swiss.com at least 48 h ahead. Arrive at check-in 90 minutes before the latest check-in time. CRO locations are stated inconsistently between the Swiss and US pages.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Electronic devices and batteries (incl. wheelchairs and mobility aids) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Electric mobility device information form (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Passenger request for special assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Customer Relations USA — Complaint Resolution Official (CRO) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 5 official sources · 4 contacts · 96% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.