All operating cabin crew must hold a valid cabin crew Medical Report issued in accordance with Subpart C of PART.MED (Annex IV of Regulation (UK) No1178/2011 year as retained (and amended in UK domestic law) under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018).
Health professionals undertaking UK Part-MED cabin crew medical assessments
Cabin crew medical examinations and assessments may be carried out by a UK CAA approved cabin crew Aeromedical Examiner (AME) or Occupational Health Medical Practitioner (OHMP). A list of UK AMEs and OHMPs can be found at Find an AME.
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 cabin crew 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 UK Part-MED requirements, under the employer’s occupational health requirements, or both.
An AME or OHMP conducting an assessment for the purposes of the UK Part-MED requirements, should always issue and sign a medical report, confirming that the applicant is 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 an applicant may be assessed as not meeting the occupational health requirements even though they have been issued with an UK Part-MED medical report stating that they 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.
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
Cabin crew licensing and medical certification requirements
Cabin crew receive an attestation rather than a licence, along with a medical report instead of a medical certificate. Before beginning operational duties, all cabin crew must obtain a medical report that confirms they are "fit" to for their role.
Acceptance of pilot medical certificates for cabin crew duties
An applicant who holds a Class 1 or 2 pilot medical certificate would almost certainly meet the medical requirements for cabin crew. But 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 aeromedical examiner (AME) who issued the medical certificate. If the AME is willing to issue a medical report based on the previous medical examination, the date of that examination should be used when completing the cabin crew medical report.
Forms for cabin crew medical examinations
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.
Cabin crew medical records
Cabin crew will not be assigned a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reference number and medical data for cabin crew are not recorded on Cellma (the CAA medical records system). This only applies to Class 1, 2, 3 and LAPL applicants, and to pilot medical declarations.
The aeromedical examiner or occupational health medical practitioner who carries out the medical assessment is responsible for creating a medical record and retaining all the documentation.
Procedures for an unfit cabin crew member
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 for them to be assessed as fit (as you would a pilot or air traffic controller applicant).
Cabin crew appeal process
Applicants who wish to appeal against the decision of an aeromedical examiner or occupational health medical practitioners should contact our Medical Department at medicalweb@caa.co.uk.
Electronic medical reports and signatures
Electronic medical reports are acceptable. Electronic signatures are permitted on medical reports when they meet specific security standards. Anyone reviewing the document must be able to verify both the signature's authenticity and the signatory's identity. The electronic signature must also be securely integrated with the medical report's content to prevent unauthorised copying from other documents.
Alternative colour vision assessment criteria for cabin crew
Cabin crew members who fail the Ishihara colour vision test can undergo a suitable functional test instead. This alternative assessment would reflect the actual cabin crew role and not exceed the colour vision standards needed for successfully completing Safety Equipment & Procedures (SEP) training. It is important to note that no safety-critical cabin tasks have been identified that depend exclusively on colour vision cues.
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