Respiratory difficulties

If you have respiratory difficulties, there are many ways for you to use therapeutic oxygen on board.

Therapeutic oxygen provided by the airline

Air France can provide you with therapeutic oxygen on board. This service is available for a fee and must be requested during booking, no less than 48 hours before your departure. Please note: this service may not be available when departing from certain airports or on certain flights. To find out if this service is available on your flight, please contact our saphir assitance service. In most cases, you will be offered a kit (Wenoll WS120) that has been specially designed for air travel. This system functions “on demand” (rather than providing “continuous” oxygen). The system is extremely compact, with 600 liters of oxygen, enabling passengers to travel safely on long-haul flights. These kits can only be used on board the aircraft. As long as your oxygen needs do not surpass 2,8 liters per minute, you will not need any kind of medical certificate to use this equipment. Otherwise, you may be offered an alternative solution, if it exists. You will be asked for a medical certificate.

Traveling with your respiratory device

We recommend using personal respiratory devices such as “portable oxygen concentrators”. These devices can be used throughout the entire flight.

However, the power outlets on our aircraft may not be used to plug in personal respiratory devices. Your device’s battery life should be at least one and a half times the duration of your flight. We recommend that you check your device's battery life and, if necessary, carry extra batteries.

Review the list of approved oxygen concentrators

If your device is not listed here, our saphir assistance service can let you know whether it is permitted for transport and provide you with information on the conditions that apply to transporting lithium batteries.

In any case, we recommend that you contact our assistance service in advance and notify them of your equipment no later than 48 hours before your flight’s departure.

Personal oxygen tanks

Air France authorizes the transport of personal (gaseous) oxygen tanks in the cabin, provided that:

  • the height does not exceed 65 cm / 26 in maximum,
  • the weight is less than or equal to 5 kg / 11 lb,
  • they are equipped with a safety system that protects against the accidental discharge of their content.

Please note

  • The use of personal (gaseous) oxygen tanks is prohibited on board.
  • It is also prohibited to transport them in the hold.
  • Please be informed that transporting personal oxygen tanks can create difficulties at security checkpoints in certain airports.
  • You must inform us at least 48 hours before your departure if you are transporting personal oxygen tanks.