Passenger Health Guidelines

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• Ⅰ.In view of the special circumstances of a high-altitude cabin and in consideration of the health and safety of passengers during air travel, passengers with the following conditions are not suitable to fly:
  • 1.Infants less than 14 days old; and pregnant woman over 36 weeks into a singleton pregnancy or over 32 weeks into a multiple pregnancy.
  • 2.Unstable cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: Patients in the early postoperative stage of angioplasty; patients having experienced myocarditis and myocardial infarction within the past 1 month; patients with severe heart failure, a myocardial infarction occurring within six weeks after myocarditis, recent frequent episodes of angina, or severe arrhythmia; patients having experienced a cerebrovascular accident within the past 2 weeks; hypertension patients with systolic pressure exceeding 180 mmHg and diastolic pressure exceeding 130 mmHg; patients in acute stage of encephalitis, brain tumor, cerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction, or patients with acute cerebrovascular disease who have anoxia and carbon dioxide retention.
  • 3.Respiratory diseases: Patients with severe bronchial asthma, cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis, emphysema, pulmonary insufficiency and heart disease, large mediastinal tumors, congenital pulmonary cysts, or pulmonary lobectomy; and patients with recent spontaneous pneumothorax, or exudative pleuritis with respiratory dysfunction.
  • 4.Digestive diseases: Patients with acute appendicitis, deep gastrointestinal ulcers, very large hernias, or intestinal obstruction. Patients having undergone abdominal surgery are unsuitable to fly for 10 days, or 20 days for flights longer than 4 hours.
  • 5.Skeletal diseases: Fractures secured with a plaster cast and weight traction. Patients should wait for 24 hours following application of a plaster cast, or for 48 hours for flights longer than 2 hours.
  • 6.Blood diseases: Patients with severe anemia, traumatic hemorrhage, or hemoglobin levels below 75 g/L. Patients must wait 10 days after the onset of sickle cell anemia.
  • 7.Eye diseases: Interventions for patients with retinal detachment usually involve the introduction of gas by intraocular injections, which can cause an increase in intraocular pressure. Air travel must not be undertaken until the gas is fully absorbed. If using sulpha hexafluoride (SF6), patients are unable to fly for 2 weeks; if using perfluoropropane (C3F8), patients are unable to fly for 6 weeks. Patients with other intraocular diseases or penetrating eye trauma are not suitable to fly for one week.
  • 8.ENT diseases: Patients having undergone tonsillectomy or middle ear surgery within the past 10-14 days; patients with severe otitis media accompanied by blocked Eustachian tubes, severe sinusitis with nasal obstruction, or Eustachian tube ventilation disorders; and patients having undergone corrective jaw surgery.
  • 9.Psychotic patients with aggressive behaviors, and epileptic patients without the accompany of medical workers. Epileptic patients must wait 24 hours after a major seizure.
  • 10.Patients with severe hemoptysis, hematemesis, bleeding, and moaning symptoms.
  • 11.Patients with any kind of infectious disease, such as tetanus.
  • 12.Patients in post-emergency shock, a coma, or suffering from intracranial hypertension, a traumatic brain injury, or a skull fracture accompanied by a coma or irregular breathing.
  • 13.Passengers that require a continuous supply of oxygen during the flight (excluding passengers able to bring their own portable oxygen concentrators that comply with regulations, and those that can physically endure the flight).
  • 14.Decompression sickness after diving.
  • 15.Late-stage cancer patients.
  • 16.Patients suffering from diseases requiring emergency medical treatment, and for which a doctor's certificate has not been presented and nursing staff are not present prior to the flight.
  • 17.Passengers with unstable vital signs due to various reasons, or those suffering from other diseases that are considered medically unsuitable to travel by air.
  • 18.Due to the great variety of diseases and individual differences, a pre-flight medical evaluation should be carried out for any medical conditions not mentioned above but which may be detrimental to passengers' health and flight safety.If a pre-flight medical evaluation is carried out, the passenger is required to provide a "Certificate of Diagnosis" or other disease-related medical information approved by China Southern Airlines to determine if the passenger is suitable to fly.
• II. Passengers are required to produce a medical certificate or certificate of diagnosis approved by China Southern Airlines for any of the following situations:
  • 1. Passengers who are carrying a transport incubator for a premature infant.
  • 2. Passengers for whom flying will be dangerous to their health or who will require special medical care during the flight.
  • 3. Passengers who suffer from a severe contagious disease but have taken precautionary measures to prevent infecting others;
  • 4. Passengers who have been pregnant for over 32 weeks but less than 36 weeks.

    Medical certificates or certificates of diagnosis approved by China Southern Airlines refer to diagnoses of a patient's condition issued by a medical institution at the county or city level (or equivalent level), signed by a doctor of that institution and have received an official stamp. Medical certificates for situations 1, 2 or 3 mentioned above must include all the necessary conditions that must be followed in order to prevent illnesses or infections from spreading. Normally, medical certificates are valid if issued within 96 hours prior to flight departure. In serious cases, they may be issued 48 hours prior to departure. For any requirements related to pregnancy, please log on to the China Southern Airlines website or call our customer service hotline: 95539 (Mainland China) or +864008695539 (International) or visit a China Southern Airlines ticketing office for more information.

• III. Other Provisions
  • 1. Passengers who apply for Wheelchair Carry (WCHC) or Wheelchair Steps (WCHS) for any of the situations listed in Part 1 of this guide must be accompanied by an escort on the same flight in the same cabin class (first class/business/Sky Pearl Club economy/economy) who possesses the capacity for full civil conduct and is capable of taking care of the passenger. Escorts who accompany disabled passengers during their air transport are subject to the provisions stated in the Civil Aviation Administration of China's Air Transport of Disabled Passengers and are not restricted by the aforementioned requirements.
  • 2. Passengers must understand the possible risks of experiencing sudden illnesses during the flight and bear any subsequent liabilities thereof, including the costs incurred by airlines of landing at a diversion airport. For passengers who are aware that their situation makes them unsuitable to fly but who violate the conditions of this contract by concealing, deceiving, or misleading others of their situation, China Southern Airlines will sue the passenger who purchased and boarded the plane for culpa in contrahendo and have the passenger accept legal responsibility by recovering the relevant fees, etc.

    In accordance with the Rules of China on the Domestic Civil Air Transport of Passengers and Luggage, and the Rules of China on the International Civil Air Transport of Passengers and Luggage issued by the CAAC, as well as China Southern Airlines' General Conditions for Domestic Carriage of Passenger and Baggage, and the General Conditions of International Carriage of Passenger and Baggage, the carrier has the right to refuse carriage to passengers if it deems that the passengers' behavior, age, or physical or mental condition is not suitable for air travel or may cause any danger or harm to oneself, the crew, or other persons or property. As a result, China Southern Airlines has the right not to sell tickets or refuse boarding to passengers it believes fall under the above categories.

(China Southern Airlines Company Limited reserves the right of interpretation of the above)