Flying with a CPAP Machine or Medical Equipment: What to Check

If you use a CPAP machine, insulin or another prescribed medical device, you can usually take it with you when you fly. The practical steps are the same in most cases: check the rules for your airline and the airport you are leaving from, carry proof that the item is prescribed to you, and expect medical equipment to be screened separately at security.

Who this affects

This guide is for travellers who depend on prescribed medical equipment or medicines while they are away from home. That includes people with obstructive sleep apnoea who use a CPAP machine, and people who carry insulin, inhalers, hypodermic syringes or liquid medicines.

Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnoea. It needs to be treated because it can lead to more serious problems, including high blood pressure, a higher chance of having a stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression or mood changes, a higher chance of having a serious accident caused by tiredness, and difficulty concentrating at work or school. A CPAP machine gently pumps air into a mask you wear over your nose, or nose and mouth, while you sleep. It works best if you use it every night.

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnoea, you will be given a CPAP machine for free on the NHS if you need it. If you are travelling with one, plan how you will carry it and how you will power it.

What to do step by step

1. Check your airline's rules first. Hand luggage allowances, including how many and what size bags you can take, are set by the airline. Check the rules for electronic items and devices you are allowed to take on a flight before you travel, because they differ depending on which country you are travelling to or from.
2. Ask your doctor or clinic for paperwork. For liquid medicines in containers larger than 100ml, you will need proof that the medication is prescribed to you, for example a letter from your doctor or a copy of your prescription. You do not need to show proof if the medication is in tablet form or is a liquid in a container of 100ml or smaller.
3. Pack essential items in your hand luggage where possible. At UK airports, essential medicines of more than 100ml, including liquid dietary foodstuffs and inhalers, and medical equipment that is essential for your journey, are allowed in hand luggage. Tablets and capsules, essential liquid medicines, hypodermic syringes, inhalers, cooling gel packs, medical equipment such as CPAP and TENS machines, and special food and liquids needed for medical reasons are all allowed in both hand and hold luggage.
4. Expect separate screening. Airport staff might need to open containers to screen liquids at the security point. Medical equipment is screened separately. In the United States, even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. Officers may ask you to power up your electronic device; powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft.
5. Check the rules at every airport on your route. Countries outside the UK might have different rules on carrying liquids as a transit or transfer passenger. Check these rules with the relevant airlines and airports before travelling. If you are flying from the UK, the rules for taking liquids through security in hand luggage have changed at some UK airports, so check with the airport before you travel.

Costs and timing

There is no single fee for carrying prescribed medical equipment, but the practical costs and timing depend on your airline and route. Check baggage allowances and any fees with your airline before you book, because hand luggage allowances are set by the airline, not by the airport.

Allow extra time at security. Food items and powders in hand luggage can obstruct images on x-ray machines, and your bags may need to be checked again manually by security. Packing these items in hold luggage can minimise delays. Medical equipment being screened separately can also add time.

For health planning, speak to a doctor, pharmacist or travel clinic about your own situation, ideally weeks before you travel. If you have sleep apnoea with excessive sleepiness that has been confirmed, you must not drive until symptoms like feeling very tired are under control, and you may need to tell the DVLA about your sleep apnoea.

Exceptions and special cases

Some items need a direct check with the airline or airport rather than a general rule:

Airport security staff will not let anything through that they consider dangerous, even if it is normally allowed in hand luggage. In the United States, the final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.

What is not yet confirmed

Rules for liquids at UK airports have changed at some airports, and the GOV.UK guidance says to check with the airport before you travel. It does not list which airports have changed, so treat the position at your departure airport as not yet confirmed until the airport itself tells you. The same applies to transit and transfer rules outside the UK: check with the relevant airlines and airports before travelling.

This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Ask a doctor, pharmacist or travel clinic about your own health situation, ideally weeks before you travel.