Know medical conditions 'before you fly'

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Holidaymakers planning on flying abroad for their summer break are being advised by the aviation industry to be open about any physical conditions.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has stated that passengers should inform the airline they are travelling with if they have a medical problem that could worsen while flying.

Figures from the CAA show that in 2007 aircraft carriers made 514 emergency calls due to passenger ill health.

This resulted in 58 planes being diverted which is a 26 per cent rise as compared to the previous year.

Jason Wakeford, spokesperson for the CAA, said: "If you have a condition that can be exacerbated by the conditions inside an aircraft, then you don't want that happening at 30,000 feet where medical protection may be very hard to come by."

Mr Wakeford revealed that it was at the discretion of the airline as to whether passengers with risky medical conditions were allowed to fly although travel insurance is still imperative.

A guide has been recently published by the CAA to assist GPs in deciding risks for patients intending to fly.

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