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Medical requirements for cabin crew

Information for health professionals

  • All operating cabin crew must either:

    • Hold a valid cabin crew medical report issued in accordance with Subpart C of Part-MED (Annex IV of EU Regulation 1178/2011),
      or
    • Have been assessed as fit following a medical assessment under Regulation (EEC) No. 3922/91 Annex III (EU-OPS) OPS 1.995 within the previous five years (see Transitional Arrangements

    Health professionals undertaking EU Cabin Crew medical assessments

    Cabin crew medical examinations and assessments may be carried out by an Aeromedical Examiner (AME) or approved Occupational Health Medical Practitioner (OHMP). A list of UK AMEs and OHMPs can be found at Find an AME.

    All UK AMEs may carry out EU cabin crew medical examinations and assessments.

    OHMPs who wish to undertake cabin crew medical examinations and assessments must be approved by the CAA Medical Department. Applicants must be qualified in Occupational Medicine and have additional training in aviation medicine. Further information and application forms are available at Guidance Material for OHMPs.

    Note: Some employers may also require you to have an assessment by their occupational health department or provider. You should always check whether a medical assessment is being carried out for the purposes of the EU requirements, under the employer’s occupational health requirements, or both.

    If you are having an assessment for the purposes of the EU requirements, you should always be issued with a medical report, signed by the AME or OHMP responsible for the assessment, confirming that you are unfit or fit with specified limitation(s) see below. Medical assessment for occupational health purposes is a matter for the employer and, in some circumstances; it is possible that you may be assessed as not meeting the occupational health requirements even though you have been issued with an EU medical report stating that you are fit for cabin crew duties.

    Medical examination and assessment

    All new cabin crew require an initial medical examination. Periodic medical assessments are required for all cabin crew at intervals of no more than 60 months.

    Cabin crew periodic medical assessments carried out up to 45 days prior to the expiry date of the previous Medical Report will be valid for 60 months from that expiry date. Assessments carried out more than 45 days before the expiry date of the previous Medical Report will be valid for 60 months from the date of the medical assessment.

    A crew member shall not operate after the expiry date of their Medical Report until they have been medically assessed as fit and issued with a Medical Report.

    If the Medical Report has expired, the AME or OHMP need only carry out a periodic medical assessment.

    More frequent medical examinations or assessments may be required in certain circumstances, such as the crew member having a medical condition requiring regular surveillance.

    Additional medical examinations or assessments may be necessary if:

    • a cabin crew member returns to work following a prolonged period of illness
    • there is any doubt about the continued fitness of a cabin crew member

    The AME/OHMP who carries out the medical assessment is responsible for creating a medical record and retaining all of the documentation. 

    Details of medical requirements

    The UK requirements for cabin crew medical examinations and assessments are detailed in the Implementing Rules (IRs) and Guidance Material (GM).

    This information also includes specimen questionnaires, although there is no requirement for these to be used provided that the minimum requirements specified in MED.C.025 and UK Alt MOC.C.025 are covered.

    Additional information is also available in the list of frequently asked questions below. Any queries about the medical fitness standards or assessment should be emailed to medicalweb@caa.co.uk.

    Medical report

    Following a medical examination or assessment, the crew member will be issued with a Medical Report, which must be signed by the AME or OHMP. The crew member must sign the report and provide a copy to their employer. There is no standard format for the Medical Report, but it must contain all of the elements specified in AMC1 MED.C.030 Cabin Crew Medical Report.

    A Medical Report issued by a UK AME or OHMP is valid in any EASA State. Similarly, a Medical Report issued by an AME or OHMP of any other EASA State is valid in the UK.

    Transitional arrangements

    Cabin crew who have been assessed as fit under the requirements of EU-OPS 1.995 do not require further medical assessment until the expiry date of this assessment. They will then require a periodic medical assessment in accordance with the EU requirements. All cabin crew are required to hold a valid cabin crew Medical Report from 8 April 2019.

    Decrease in medical fitness

    Cabin crew who hold a Medical Report and experience a decrease in medical fitness are required to seek further advice.

    Details of the requirements relating to a decrease in medical fitness

      Crew who are operating under an assessment as fit for cabin crew duties under the EU-OPS requirements should seek guidance from their manager on the procedure to be followed if they experience a decrease in medical fitness. In most instances this will require them to seek advice from the operator’s occupational health service or adviser.

      Frequently asked questions

    • Will cabin crew now have a licence and a medical certificate?

      No. Cabin crew will have an 'attestation', not a licence, and a 'medical report', not a medical certificate. However, they are required to have a medical report with a 'fit' assessment before operating as cabin crew.

      Can an EASA Class 1 or 2 pilot medical certificate be accepted in place of a cabin crew medical report?

      No. An applicant who holds a Class 1 or 2 pilot medical certificate would almost certainly meet the medical requirements for cabin crew. However, a pilot medical certificate can only be used to validate a pilot licence and does not, for example, give details of the validity period for a cabin crew medical report. A member of cabin crew must hold a Medical Report issued in accordance with MED.C.030.

      An applicant who requires a cabin crew Medical Report and already holds a Class 1 or 2 medical certificate should be advised to discuss this with the AME who issued the medical certificate. If the AME is willing to issue a Medical Report on the basis of the previous medical examination, the date of that examination should be used when completing the cabin crew Medical Report.

      Do existing cabin crew need to have an EASA medical assessment?

      Crew who have been assessed as 'fit' under the EU-OPS requirements will not require an EASA assessment until the expiry of the EU-OPS assessment. They will then require an EASA periodic assessment, not an initial assessment, i.e. they do not require a medical examination unless indicated by the outcome of a questionnaire.

      What forms should I use when carrying out cabin crew medicals?

      There are no specified forms. The specimen questionnaires are available for use, but there is no regulatory requirement to use these. You will also need to record the medical examination for initial applicants, but again there is no specified format for this.

      Will cabin crew have a CAA reference number?

      No.

      Should I send a copy of the completed medical forms to the CAA Medical Department?

      No. The AME/OHMP who carries out the medical assessment is responsible for creating a medical record and retaining all of the documentation.

      Where do I find the form for the EU cabin crew medical report?

      There is a specimen template on the website, but there is no obligation to use this. The regulatory requirement is that the form should include all of the information specified. The form is not an official CAA form and should not have the CAA logo. It is acceptable to use your own or an operator's headed notepaper/logo.

      What do I do if the cabin crew member is unfit?

      You should issue a medical report to the crew member stating that they are unfit. You should also advise them on what further reports, investigation or treatment would be required in order for them to be assessed as fit (as you would a pilot or ATCO applicant).

      Is there an appeal process for cabin crew?

      Applicants who wish to appeal against the decision of an AME or OHMP should contact the CAA Medical Department at medicalweb@caa.co.uk

      Can I use electronic medical reports?

      Yes

      Can I use an electronic signature on cabin crew medical reports?

      Electronic signatures may be used, but the process, to include measures to verify the identity of the applicant and an adequate audit trail, must be approved by the CAA before such a system is implemented. Please contact the CAA Medical Department at amesupport@caa.co.uk if you would like to use electronic medical signatures.

      Will I be able to use AME online to record cabin crew medical assessments?

      No

      What are the criteria for a 'suitable functional test' for cabin crew who fail the Ishihara colour vision test?

      A suitable test would be relevant to the cabin crew role and not require a higher standard of colour vision than would be required for a crew member to successfully complete their Safety Equipment & Procedures (SEP) training. It should be borne in mind that no colour vision critical tasks have been identified, i.e. there are no safety critical tasks that are dependent solely on colour vision cues. Cabin crew in the UK (and many other States) have not required colour vision assessment prior to the implementation of the EASA regulations.