All airlines Asia Pacific
Xiamen Airlines
Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 72 h notice.
- Advance notice
- 72hours 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.
- PhoneChina — Xiamen Airlines 24-hour service hotline (special service applications)24 hours
- PhoneOverseas service hotline
- PhoneUnited States — service and ticketing hotline
- EmailGeneral customer service email (no disability-specific address is published)
Applications go through a Xiamen Airlines direct sales office, the 95557 hotline or (terminal wheelchairs only) the Xiamen Airlines Mini Program; there is no online assistance form, and a paper 'Application Form for Air Travel for Passengers With Special Needs' must be signed in quintuplicate at a ticket office. Xiamen publishes no TTY/relay service of its own — the only TTY numbers printed are the U.S. DOT's (1-800-455-9880 and 202-366-0511) on the Part 382 page. Special services are accepted only for tickets beginning 731 on MF-operated flights, not on code-share flights.
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.
Battery-powered wheelchairs are carried as checked baggage, but transport must be applied for at least 48 h before departure, the operator informed in advance so loading space can be arranged, and the captain notified; the conditions of carriage also list electric wheelchairs as restricted items requiring Xiamen's authorisation. Special-service requests are only accepted on MF-operated flights ticketed on 731 stock, not on code-share flights.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (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
Accepted with conditions. The battery must meet UN Manual of Tests and Criteria Part III subsection 38.3 and the passenger should bring the UN test document; the chair must be checked, the operator informed in advance and the captain notified. Small lithium-powered personal transporters (hoverboards, self-balancing scooters) are banned outright, even with the battery removed.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No watt-hour cap is published for a battery that stays in the chair: where the wheelchair has a 'sufficient battery protection design' Xiamen's table requires only that it be checked with the battery protected against short circuits and damage, the operator informed in advance and the captain notified.
Where the wheelchair has an 'insufficient battery protection design' the battery may be no more than 300 Wh and 'must be removed and handheld' — i.e. carried into the cabin by the passenger.
Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Spare battery for a battery-powered wheelchair or mobility aid: one piece of no more than 300 Wh, or two pieces of no more than 160 Wh each. Spares are hand-carried only.
Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Maximum two: two spares of up to 160 Wh each, or one spare of up to 300 Wh. Spares must be hand-carried, individually protected, kept in the seat pocket or under the seat in front (never in an overhead bin) and secured against slipping; they may not be charged on board.
Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Only where the battery's protection design is insufficient: that battery (≤300 Wh) must be removed and hand-carried. A wheelchair with a sufficient battery protection design travels checked with the battery installed, protected against short circuits and damage.
Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published. Xiamen's wheelchair battery table covers only lithium batteries; gel, AGM, sealed lead-acid and dry cells are not addressed.
Not published for wheelchairs. Xiamen's dangerous-goods list bans 'liquid storage batteries' from checked and carry-on baggage as corrosives, but the page does not say how that applies to a wheelchair fitted with a spillable wet battery.
For an installed battery Xiamen requires protection against short circuit and damage and notification of the captain. Spares must be individually protected, may not be placed in overhead bins, must be kept in the seatback pocket or under the seat in front and secured against slipping, and may not be charged from the aircraft power supply.
Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Bringing the wheelchair and battery instructions and the special tools needed to assemble the chair 'will help us process your wheelchair'; for lithium-ion powered wheelchairs Xiamen requires UN-recognised test documentation showing the battery meets subsection 38.3 of Part III of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not a chair limit: 'The cargo hold door dimensions of the aircraft operated by Xiamen Airlines on U.S. routes are 40 inches * 45 inches' (101.6 cm x 114.3 cm) — contact Xiamen if the device is larger. Xiamen does not say which figure is the height and which the width, and publishes no door figure for other routes.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit specific to a powered wheelchair is published.
Checked wheelchairs, including battery-powered ones, may be handed over at the check-in counter or the cabin entrance and collected at the cabin entrance or the baggage claim area.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Manual wheelchairs
Carried, but the General Conditions of Carriage class 'folding or electric wheelchairs for passengers to use during the trip' as restricted items that may be carried only in conformity with the conditions and 'authorized by Xiamen Airlines'. In practice the special-needs page treats a foldable wheelchair as a cabin-permitted assistive device, free of charge, with free check-in when the cabin has no space. Non-foldable manual wheelchairs must be checked.
Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (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
Foldable wheelchairs are on the list of assistive devices that may be carried on board as personal items, allocated first come, first served and stowed in the overhead bin or under the seat in front. Exceptions: the A320 has no storage space for any of these assistive devices and the A321 none for foldable wheelchairs, non-telescopic crutches or white canes — on those types the device is checked free.
Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No dimensions are published for the cabin stowage of a folding chair; Xiamen says only that a device taken into the cabin must fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front.
No maximum manual wheelchair size is published. The only aperture figure Xiamen gives is the 40 x 45 in cargo-hold door on its U.S.-route aircraft — see electric.max_dimensions and aircraft_hold_note.
No wheelchair-specific weight limit is published. The general checked-baggage limits (50 kg and 100 x 60 x 40 cm on domestic flights; 32 kg and 203 cm combined on international flights, 45 kg and up to 300 cm with prior consent to/from the USA) are stated for baggage, not for mobility aids.
'Wheelchairs can be checked in at the check-in counter or cabin entrance, and picked up at the cabin entrance or baggage claim area.'
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Booking & cost
Wheelchairs for accessing/exiting the cabin: apply at least 72 h ahead (the same page also lists cabin wheelchairs at 48 h). Boarding-stairs wheelchair, service dog, severe visual/hearing impairment and disabled groups of 10+: 48 h. Electric wheelchair transport: at least 48 h (U.S. page). Ground wheelchairs: tell Xiamen after booking. Xiamen replies within 24 h. Latest check-in 120 min before departure; battery-powered wheelchair users must reach the special service/care counter 2 h before departure (1 h on U.S. routes).
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Requests are accepted only through Xiamen's own channels and only for tickets beginning 731 on MF-operated flights — not code-share flights. Any passenger requesting special services fills in the 'Application Form for Air Travel for Passengers With Special Needs' in quintuplicate. Passengers with special needs cannot use online, app, WeChat or kiosk check-in and must check in at the airport counter.
Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Assistive devices are checked in free of charge when there is no cabin stowage space, and an eligible disabled passenger may check one additional piece of assistive equipment free beyond the normal allowance. Terminal wheelchairs are free at every airport.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No single total is published. Xiamen states that assistive devices are carried free and that a disabled passenger who meets the conditions for air travel 'can also check in one additional piece of assistive equipment for free, beyond the regulations'.
'For US-bound flights operated by Xiamen Airlines, Xiamen Airlines will take the responsibilities for any loss, damage, or death concerning any checked-in wheelchairs or service animals of passengers with disabilities.' Elsewhere the conditions of carriage apply the ordinary limited-release regime: baggage of disputed liability is accepted only with a limited release tag and the passenger's written agreement, otherwise it may be refused.
Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (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
On board
'We only provide in-flight wheelchairs for non-ambulatory passengers on intercontinental routes (including the Doha route) operated by wide-body aircraft (B787), for their use inside the cabin during the flight.' No on-board aisle chair on the narrow-body network.
Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'Many of our larger aircraft are equipped with lavatories for passengers with disabilities, depending on the size and structure of the aircraft.' Xiamen does not publish which aircraft or how many.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Crew help passengers in and out of their seats when boarding and disembarking, help with stowing and retrieving mobility aids, help passengers use the on-board wheelchair (where fitted) to reach the lavatory and help them in and out of the lavatory — but will not lift or carry a passenger, assist with eating, assist with toileting at the seat or in the lavatory, or provide medical services.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'We offer movable aisle armrests on some aircraft models to facilitate the entry and exit of passengers with mobility impairments. The number and location of seats with movable aisle armrests vary depending on the aircraft model.' Travel companions are seated next to the passenger they accompany except where safety requires otherwise.
Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. Cargo-hold door on the aircraft Xiamen operates to and from the USA is 40 x 45 in (101.6 x 114.3 cm); no figure is published for other routes. On-board (aisle) wheelchairs are carried only on B787 wide-body intercontinental routes, including Doha. The A320 has no cabin stowage space for assistive devices at all, and the A321 none for foldable wheelchairs, non-telescopic crutches or white canes.
Worth knowing
Xiamen Airlines publishes two overlapping English policies: the global 'Carriage of Passengers with Special Need' page and a U.S. 'Part 382' page, which differ in places — the U.S. page tells battery-wheelchair users to check in 1 h before departure, the global page 2 h, and the global page lists the cabin wheelchair at both 48 h and 72 h notice. Both were read; the stricter figure is recorded with the alternatives in the detail. Other things a traveller must know: special services are only accepted for tickets beginning 731 on MF-operated flights and not on code-share flights, and passengers with special needs cannot use online or kiosk check-in. Under the CAAC rules Xiamen caps the number of unaccompanied disabled passengers who would need help in an evacuation at 4 on 101-200 seat aircraft (B737/B738/A320) and 6 on 201-400 seat aircraft (A321/B787); over that limit passengers are moved to a later Xiamen flight or assisted onto another carrier. The U.S. page states Xiamen cannot carry stretcher passengers or infant incubators. A paper application form signed in quintuplicate makes the applicant accept responsibility for any worsening of their own health in flight.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Part 382 Passengers with Disabilities (U.S. site) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Carriage of Passengers with Special Need (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods & Items (lithium battery table) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Xiamen Airlines United States site (service and ticketing hotline) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 5 official sources · 4 contacts · 75% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.