Accessible air transport is a right for people with special needs and an obligation of airlines to their customers. For this reason, Iberia and the Airport Managers of each country work daily to design more boardable aircraft, provide solutions to every need and facilitate travel. 

A Passenger with Reduced Mobility (PRM) is considered to be any person who has a permanent or temporary physical, mental or sensory disability; who therefore has a limited capacity to carry out normal activities; and who requires special attention and/or an adaptation of the services available to other passengers, in normal and emergency situations.

In general, any Passenger with Reduced Mobility (PRM) who can understand and carry out the safety instructions by themselves (and if they cannot, is accompanied by another person capable of helping them); who does not interfere with flight safety or the crew's activities; and who does not require medical authorisation, will be automatically accepted on board.

Depending on the particular assistance needs of each case, it is possible that a person may be required to accompany your client throughout the itinerary and, on very specific occasions, it may be medical personnel with training and capacity to assess the client's state of health, administer medication or apply the necessary care.

An assistance dog is considered to be a valid companion for a person with a visual, hearing, intellectual or developmental disability, travelling alone or accompanied. 

 In the case of passengers with Reduced Mobility PRM travelling in a group, the responsibilities of group escorts can be found on the Group Escort Instruction Cards, available on each aircraft, which will be handed out by the cabin crew on arrival on board.                          

• Visually impaired passengers do not require medical clearance, but do require assistance in the event of an emergency. If they are accompanied, they will automatically be admitted to the flight.

• If your customer is travelling with a guide dog, it is considered a valid companion for visually impaired passengers. More information about travelling with assistance dogs here ( > link to the section Assistance dogs).

• If your customer is travelling unaccompanied and needs assistance, he/she can request assistance (link to section 8. Assistance service for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM)).

• In the case of a group of visually impaired passengers, one sighted person will be required for each row of visually impaired passengers.

• More details on assistance for passengers with reduced mobility here.

• Passengers with intellectual or developmental disabilities do not require medical clearance, but do require assistance in the event of an emergency. They may travel alone and are automatically accepted.

• If they are unable to understand or comply with safety regulations when flying alone, or if they are unable to cope with daily life activities on their own, they must be accompanied.

• An assistance dog is considered a valid companion for a passenger with an intellectual disability. More information on travelling with assistance dogs, here.

• More information about assistance to passengers with reduced mobility, here

• Hearing impaired passengers will not be considered Reduced Mobility Passengers, so for the purpose of air transport they will be accepted on the flight without any restrictions.    

• Hearing impaired passengers may travel with an assistance dog, which may fly in the cabin with the passenger free of charge. More information about travelling with assistance dogs, here.

• Passengers with fractures and/or dislocations, with or without plaster cast, who can move freely, will be accepted without any type of restriction.

•  Passengers who have been in plaster casts in the twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled departure of their flight will not be accepted, in order to avoid any negative effect on the injured area, due to the effect of pressurisation. 

• Passengers in plaster cast who cannot bend their arm or leg and invade the seat next to them will require an extra seat (EXST) and must always occupy an aisle seat.

• Due to the specific conditions of each aircraft, Iberia cannot reserve or guarantee the extra front seat for these passengers.

• The EXST will always refer to the side seat and will be charged as an extra seat.

• See Extra Seat (EXST) section 10

At the time of booking, airlines, travel agents and tour operators must inform their customers of the following: 

• The service must be requested from the operating carrier at least 48 hours in advance.

• The Regulation also foresees the need for the passenger with reduced mobility to present himself/herself sufficiently in advance to ensure and guarantee the provision of assistance.

Within the European Union, assistance for Passengers with special needs will begin upon their arrival at the airport, where they should contact the entity in charge of the assistance service.

Remember: with the implementation of the European Union Regulation 1107/2006, ground assistance for Passengers with reduced mobility has become the responsibility of Airport Managers or the agents delegated by them, so that airlines need a minimum time to be able to communicate passengers' needs to the manager.

As a general rule, we recommend that you arrive at the airport 2 hours before the scheduled departure of your flight. Your boarding will be given priority.

We share links of interest: 

International regulations on the transport of persons with reduced mobility.

Office of Aviation Consumer Protection of the United States Department of Transportation.

Your customer may request an extra seat for their comfort or special physical condition.

Due to the specific conditions of each aircraft, Iberia cannot reserve or guarantee the extra front seat. The extra seat will always refer to the side seat, and will be charged as an extra seat.

Passengers with reduced mobility may carry two mobility aids (wheelchairs, walkers or other orthopaedic devices) at no additional charge.

 
• If powered by dry batteries, the terminals shall be insulated and the battery shall be disconnected and attached to the wheelchair. If powered by wet batteries, they must always be able to be charged, stowed, secured and discharged in an upright position, with the battery disconnected and secured to the wheelchair, and with the terminals insulated.

• To ensure that everything is ready for your arrival, you must request special assistance at least 48 hours before your flight departure.
 
• Passengers requesting a wheelchair are considered PRMs (Passengers with Reduced Mobility), and will not require medical authorisation as long as they do not incur in any of the characteristics defined to be considered medical cases (MEDA) ( > link to the MEDA section (Passenger Medical Authorisation Form)).
 
• When considered as a MEDA medical case,  the MEDA SSR with the diagnosis shall be included in the PNR.

 
• All requests will be answered by the system automatically. 

• The allocation of special seats with folding armrests for passengers requesting a wheelchair will always be made in the seats marked with the letter H in the check-in system.

It is the customer's obligation to know what type of chair and battery he/she is carrying.

It is important to code the seat correctly to ensure proper assistance.

Here are the SSR codes for wheelchairs:

• Passengers may travel with their own wheelchair, in which case the SR WCH code will include the comment pax viaja con silla propia.
• On Volaris flights, with which we operate a codeshare agreement in Mexico, wet battery or lithium wheelchairs are not accepted.
• Contact Vueling if your customer is travelling with a wheelchair on Vueling.
• More information on transporting wheelchairs on board here and visit the "wheelchairs/special baggage" section.