Flying while pregnant: how many weeks you can fly, by airline, and when you need a fit-to-fly letter

Key facts

• The NHS says flying is not harmful in an uncomplicated pregnancy, and that an airline may ask for a letter after week 28.
• 17 of the 30 airlines compared here carry a single pregnancy until the end of week 36; nine stop at week 35 and Wizz Air at 34.
• 18 airlines require a letter: 12 of them from week 28, TUI, Condor, Emirates and Qatar Airways from week 29, Finnair and LOT from week 32.
• The letter's maximum age sits between 6 days (Wizz Air) and 30 days (SAS), and ten airlines publish no separate twins limit.
• On flights over 4 hours the NHS and RCOG advise compression stockings, water and moving every 30 minutes.

The short answer

Yes, you can fly when pregnant. The NHS and the RCOG say flying is not harmful in a straightforward pregnancy, and the RCOG puts the safest period at before 37 weeks with one baby or before 32 weeks with uncomplicated twins. Airlines are stricter: most stop carrying you at the end of week 36 (some at 35, Wizz Air at 34), and from week 28 many require a letter from your doctor or midwife confirming your due date and that the pregnancy is uncomplicated.

How many weeks pregnant will I be on each flight? Plan by date

Airline limits are counted on the day of each flight, and it is the return leg that catches people out. Enter your due date and your flight dates below, pick the airline, and the planner shows how many weeks and days pregnant you will be on each flight, whether the airline carries you on that day, whether a letter is needed for each leg, and the dates between which the letter must be signed so it is still valid on the way home. Where an airline's page names a week without defining the day, the boundary week is flagged so you can ask the airline before you book. The same planner sits on every airline page in the comparison, locked to that airline, and you can copy a link to your plan or print it for your bag.

Is it safe to fly while pregnant?

The NHS and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) both say that in a straightforward pregnancy flying is not harmful to you or your baby. The NHS notes that many women find mid-pregnancy, between 4 and 6 months, the best time to travel, once the nausea and tiredness of the first 12 weeks have passed. The RCOG lists when flying is not recommended: an increased risk of miscarriage, severe anaemia, a recent sickle cell crisis, significant vaginal bleeding, or serious heart or lung conditions affecting breathing.

The NHS says travel of more than 4 hours carries a small risk of deep vein thrombosis; both bodies advise plenty of water, moving or in-seat exercises every 30 minutes, and graduated compression stockings. The RCOG suggests an aisle seat, and notes that the raised DVT risk lasts for up to six weeks after the birth.

What are the three rules every airline sets?

Every pregnancy policy comes down to three numbers. The letter week is the week from which a doctor's or midwife's letter is required, or, at Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian and Eurowings, merely recommended. The last week is the final week in which the airline still accepts you, so "to the end of week 35" means 35 weeks and 6 days. The third, the letter's maximum age, is the one people miss: a letter fine for British Airways can be too old for Wizz Air. All three are counted at the date of each flight.

How many weeks pregnant can you fly, airline by airline?

The patterns matter as much as the table below. Twelve carriers make the letter mandatory from week 28: Ryanair, British Airways, Jet2, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Iberia, TAP, Turkish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, airBaltic and Brussels Airlines. TUI, Condor, Emirates and Qatar Airways wait until week 29; Finnair asks after week 32 only on flights over 6 hours, LOT on any flight.

Weeks are the last week in which the airline still carries you, counted at the date of each flight. “—” = the airline publishes no figure; SAS and Norwegian state their rules by due date. Every row was read on the airline's own page on the date shown.

Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian and Eurowings recommend, but do not require, a letter from week 28. Eight airlines need nothing for an uncomplicated pregnancy: easyJet, Transavia, KLM, Air France, AEGEAN and Pegasus, plus SAS and Norwegian, which count from your due date and want a certificate only in the 4 to 2 weeks before it, on flights under 4 hours. The airline rules hub compares all 30.

Why do nine airlines stop at week 35, not 36?

Because "36 weeks" is a boundary, not a permission. easyJet, Jet2, Vueling, Iberia, Austrian, Turkish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Aer Lingus and KLM draw the line at the start of week 36, so their last flight is at 35 weeks and 6 days. Wizz Air stops at the end of week 34. The other 17 carry you to the end of week 36, which Lufthansa, SWISS, TAP, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings also state as four weeks before the due date. Finnair goes the other way, to the end of week 38 on flights lasting 2 hours or less, and LOT publishes no maximum week.

What about twins, and what about the return flight?

Where a multiple-pregnancy limit is published it is usually the end of week 32 (15 airlines); Jet2 allows week 33, Transavia week 34, and Vueling, Iberia and Turkish Airlines stop at week 31. Ten airlines publish no separate limit at all: Aer Lingus, KLM, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, SAS, Norwegian, LOT, AEGEAN and Croatia Airlines. Never assume the single figure applies; ask the airline.

Fly out at 34 weeks and 2 days and return 11 days later and you are 35 weeks and 6 days on the way home: fine for British Airways or easyJet, over the line for Wizz Air.

What must the pregnancy fit-to-fly letter say, and how do I get it?

The CAA sums up what airlines want: confirmation that the pregnancy is progressing normally, that there are no complications, and the expected date of delivery. Add single or multiple, the week of pregnancy on each flight date, a statement that you are fit to fly, and the doctor's or midwife's name, registration number, signature and date of issue. Nine airlines publish their own form (Ryanair, British Airways, Jet2, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Finnair, Brussels Airlines, airBaltic and Qatar Airways); Condor accepts only its MEDIF A.

EU-licensed doctors are on Mobi Doctor daily 7am–11pm CET, and you are seen over video usually within 15 minutes. Have any airline form ready; the doctor checks the airline's wording and, where clinically appropriate, emails the signed letter (described on the fit-to-fly certificate page) after the consultation. Video consultation €57 + €10 for the certificate; the same appointment covers advice on anything else.

Which airlines explain their rules clearly, and what has changed?

Not every airline page answers the questions you arrive with. The Airline Pregnancy Policy Clarity Index 2026 scores all 30 pages on seven of them, from whether twins are mentioned to whether the airline says how it counts weeks, and only two carriers answer all seven. Every correction to the figures on this page, with the value before and after, is recorded in the dated rule changes log, so you can check whether anything moved between booking and flying.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• NHS, Travelling in pregnancy — accessed 24 September 2026
• RCOG, Air travel and pregnancy — accessed 24 September 2026
• UK CAA, Pregnancy — accessed 24 September 2026
• easyJet, Medical information — accessed 24 September 2026
• Wizz Air, Special assistance — accessed 24 September 2026