Bring medication or medical equipment

By 'prescription medication', we mean any controlled medication that has been prescribed for you by a doctor or other medical practitioner. Over the counter medicines, such as headache tablets, are fine to bring as long as they are also legal in your destination country and you keep them in their original packaging.

• If you are likely to need to take medication during the flight, you should bring enough in your hand baggage to last you for the journey, plus two or three days just in case of delay or loss of baggage. The rest should be packed in your check in baggage and placed in the hold, where the temperature is kept between 4-5°C
• Make sure you have a letter from your medical practitioner confirming the type of medication (including the generic drug name), with prescribed doses, what the medication is for and any other medical items required, such as syringes or EpiPens.
• The medication should be in its original packaging, pharmaceutically labelled to clearly identify it as being prescribed for and belonging to you.
• Carry a repeat prescription so your medication can be replaced in event of loss, damage or having insufficient supplies.
• Some medication may contain ingredients that are illegal in some countries, even if it has been prescribed by your doctor. It’s a good idea to check with the UK embassy at your destination.

Keeping your medication cold

The onboard fridge cannot be used to keep medication cold. However, if you bring a cool bag the crew will be happy to top it up with ice.

Liquid medication

Increased security at UK airports affects the amount of liquid medication that passengers can take in hand baggage. For the latest airport security advice on

carrying liquid medication, please check your airport’s website or The Department of Transport. There’s also more information on liquids on our own liquid restrictions page.

Travelling to the UAE with medication

In October 2018, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health announced that all tourists and residents planning to enter the country with personal medication will need to obtain prior approval.

An electronic form needs to be completed before you travel.

If you have questions about this new policy, we recommend contacting the UAE Ministry of Health on +971 2 652 0500 or info@moh.gov.ae

By 'medical equipment, we mean items like respiratory assistive devices including CPAP machines, needles and syringes. For specific guidance on bringing wheelchairs and other mobility equipment onboard, take a look at our mobility aids and wheelchairs page.

Some medical equipment can be brought onboard, but you’ll need to make sure it complies with restrictions. Please read the guidance below, and call our Special Assistance team at least 48 hours before you travel, on +44 (0)344 412 4455. They might ask you a few questions about your medical condition.

Powered equipment
We can’t provide electricity to power medical equipment on our aircraft, so your equipment will need to be battery powered. Guidelines for the use of batteries are as follows:

• Ensure you carry sufficient batteries for the duration of your flight.
• Batteries must be fitted in the device if you check it into the aircraft hold.
• Spare batteries must be individually wrapped and carried in hand luggage only.
• Just like personal stereos and phones, any powered medical equipment must be switched off and stowed for taxi, take off, approach and landing, and during abnormal or emergency conditions.

Needles and syringes
You’re allowed to bring needles and syringes onboard for the treatment of medical conditions. However, please make sure you also carry:

• A letter from your medical practitioner confirming the kind of medication you have, and what it is for.
• If you do not have a medical practitioner's letter, the medication must have a printed pharmaceutical label, clearly identifying it as being prescribed for and belonging to you.

Respiratory assistive devices
The following guidelines apply to any respiratory assistive devices you wish to bring onboard:

• It must be labelled by the manufacturer, confirming it has been tested to meet the requirements for medical portable devices set by the UK Government or US Federal Aviation Authority.
• The device must not be too big or too heavy to be used in the cabin.
• Any extra batteries must be packaged in accordance with UK safety regulations.
• You must carry sufficient fully-charged batteries to power the device for 150% of the expected maximum flight duration, to take any delays into account.
• You may also need to carry a medical certificate for the condition that requires you to use the device.
• We no longer carry therapeutic oxygen onboard, so if you anticipate needing  a POC (Personal Oxygen Concentrator) device with you, check out our onboard oxygen page.

You can carry and use approved Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC’s) onboard our flights. To arrange that please complete our POC Approval and Battery Approval Request form, and fax or email it to our oxygen provider OxygenToGo®, at least 48 hours before your flight. You're also welcome to use another approved supplier -  please contact our Special Assistance team for more info on the types of POC we allow onboard.

If you bought your flight with us, but it's operated by one of our partner airlines, please contact them directly for their policy regarding medical oxygen.

You aren't allowed to sit in an exit row or bulkhead seat if you intend to use a POC. Your POC doesn't count toward your hand baggage limit, but must meet the following conditions to be allowed on board:

• The battery should be removed and packaged separately if not in use
• It should have a recessed battery terminal, and the packaged battery terminals should not contact any metal objects.

If you're unsure about any regulations or requirements that might apply to you, please contact our Special Assistance team using our online contact form or by email: Special_Assistance@fly.virgin.com. They're there to help.