Airline medical and fit to fly requirements
What each airline actually requires — pregnancy cut-offs, infectious illness rules, medical clearance and cancellation. Checked against every carrier’s own policy.
The short answer. There is no UK law requiring a fit to fly certificate. Every airline sets its own rule, and they differ far more than most people expect — pregnancy cut-offs range from week 32 to week 37, and easyJet requires no certificate at all where Ryanair requires one from week 28. Check your carrier before you pay for anything.
Every carrier, side by side
The table below is the short version. Each airline’s own page goes into what the letter has to say, how recently it must be dated, and what happens for infectious illness and medical cancellations.
| Airline | Single pregnancy | Multiple | Letter from | Chickenpox wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| easyJet | End of week 35 | End of week 32 | None required | 7 days |
| Ryanair | End of week 36 | End of week 32 | Week 28 | 7 days |
| Jet2 | End of week 35 | End of week 33 | Week 28 | 7 days |
| TUI | End of week 36 | End of week 32 | Week 29 | 7 days |
| British Airways | End of week 36 | End of week 32 | Week 28 | 6 days |
| Wizz Air | Week 34 | Week 32 | Week 28 | Not published |
| Virgin Atlantic | End of week 36 | End of week 32 | Week 28 | Not published |
| Emirates | End of week 36 | End of week 32 | Week 29 | Not published |
| Qatar Airways | Week 36 | Week 32 | Week 29 | Not published |
| Air India | Week 32 | Week 32 | Week 32 | Not published |
Chickenpox waits are counted from the last new spot, not the first. That is usually several days later than the NHS rule for returning to school, and it is the single most common reason families are turned away at check-in.
Choose your airline
easyJet
Pregnancy to end of week 35. No certificate required.
Ryanair
Pregnancy to end of week 36. Certificate from week 28.
Jet2
Pregnancy to end of week 35. Certificate from week 28.
TUI
Pregnancy to end of week 36. Certificate from week 29.
British Airways
Pregnancy to end of week 36. Certificate from week 28.
Wizz Air
Pregnancy to week 34. Certificate from week 28.
Virgin Atlantic
Pregnancy to end of week 36. Certificate from week 28.
Emirates
Pregnancy to end of week 36. Certificate from week 29.
Qatar Airways
Pregnancy to week 36. Certificate from week 29.
Air India
Pregnancy to week 32. Certificate from week 32.
When a letter is not enough
For most situations a doctor’s letter is what the airline wants. In a smaller number of cases the airline’s own medical department has to review and approve your travel first, using a MEDIF form. That typically applies where:
- a pregnancy has complications
- you need supplemental oxygen in flight
- you have had a recent serious cardiac or neurological event
- you need a stretcher, or significant assistance beyond a wheelchair
- you are travelling shortly after major surgery
MEDIF clearance takes time — Qatar Airways, for example, wants it no less than 48 hours and no more than 7 days before departure. Start early. How MEDIF clearance works.
Common questions
Is there a UK law requiring a fit to fly certificate?
No. No UK legislation requires one. Each airline sets its own rule in its conditions of carriage, which is exactly why the requirements differ so much between carriers — and why checking your specific airline matters more than any general advice.
Which airline has the strictest pregnancy rules?
Of the carriers here, Air India is the strictest: it carries an uncomplicated single pregnancy only to the end of week 32 as standard, and will not carry a multiple pregnancy beyond week 32 at all. Wizz Air is the strictest of the European carriers at 34 weeks. easyJet stops at the end of week 35 but asks for no paperwork.
Which airline is the most relaxed?
easyJet, by a distance, on paperwork — it requires no medical certificate at any stage of an uncomplicated pregnancy. On week limits, British Airways, TUI, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Qatar Airways all carry a single pregnancy to the end of week 36.
What is a MEDIF form?
A Medical Information Form: a standardised form the airline’s own medical department reviews when a passenger’s condition needs formal clearance rather than just a letter. It is typically required for complicated pregnancies, in-flight oxygen, stretcher travel or recent serious illness. How MEDIF clearance works.
The airline says one thing on its website and another on the phone. Which wins?
The published conditions of carriage are the contractual position, and that is what check-in staff work from. If a phone agent tells you something more generous, ask for it in writing by email. We reference each airline’s own published page on every carrier page here, with the date we checked it.
Related
Sources. The airline and clinical facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 24 August 2026. Airline policies change without notice — always confirm with your airline before you book or travel.
Need the certificate your airline asks for?
Tell us which airline you are flying with. A GMC-registered UK GP issues the letter in the format that carrier requires — or completes their own form.
Get startedReviewed by a GMC-registered GP. Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued on clinical grounds.