This guide is a pre-submission worksheet for an identified portable oxygen concentrator. It helps turn “can we bring oxygen?” into specific questions each operating carrier can answer.
Discuss the device and itineraryRecord the full model and version from the unit, not only the brand or a rental company’s description. State whether it will be used onboard or carried for later use. A personal POC request is different from requesting the airline’s therapeutic oxygen; an oxygen cylinder is not a POC. The clinician specifies the support needed, while the carrier assesses the proposed equipment and carriage arrangements. One approval should not silently replace another.
Emirates publishes a POC list including Inogen One G4 and Respironics SimplyGO and requires a signed physician statement at check-in. That is an Emirates example, not a universal approved list. Preserve the manufacturer label and check the exact model against the operating carrier’s current criteria. If the unit is exchanged by a supplier, reopen the model check even when the replacement serves the same clinical purpose.
Singapore Airlines’ POC/CPAP guidance specifies gel or dry batteries covering at least 150% of flight time, with additional lithium restrictions. China Eastern’s POC notice requires the whole journey, including connections and ground delays, plus three hours. Do not combine these into one universal formula. Build a timeline for each operating carrier and identify which interval its rule covers; confirm permitted battery type, quantity and packaging separately from the duration calculation.
China Eastern limits its published POC service to specified China Eastern/Shanghai Airlines operated and numbered flights, asks for application at least 48 hours before departure, and lists printed check-in documents. Read the current notice for certificate validity and forms; these are not rules for every flight carrying a codeshare number. Keep document preparation and carrier response as separate milestones. Receipt of a form is not evidence that all arrangements have been accepted.
Ask who retains the POC during airport assistance, who checks the remaining battery reserve at the agreed handover, and how support continues if baggage or border processing takes longer than expected. If the China-side vehicle uses a different oxygen arrangement, the responsible clinicians or providers must confirm suitability and the changeover. Do not assume the airline supplies oxygen through the terminal or that the receiving vehicle can use every connector.
Send the exact POC label, proposed operating carriers and sectors, intended usage, battery inventory and runtime evidence, status of the medical certificate, escort or companion needs, and the China-side destination. Identify whether flight oxygen, ground oxygen or both remain unresolved. ChinaMedTransfer can coordinate the ground interface and organise missing questions; we do not prescribe flow settings or guarantee device acceptance. Use the existing POC service page for the wider support arrangement once this equipment check is clear.
Check whether the planned spare batteries can travel： Medical-device lithium batteries on flights to China: an inventory-first check →
Arrange the wider POC travel support： Portable oxygen concentrator planning for flights involving China →
Define the air-to-ground oxygen changeover： In-flight oxygen and ground oxygen in China: avoiding a handover gap →
Resolve passenger clearance separately： Fit-to-fly and airline medical clearance for China travel →
Official sources last reviewed: 2026-10-06. Policy examples apply only to the named carrier, device and stated conditions. Reconfirm for the actual operating sectors.
Start with the itinerary and equipment details listed above, marking unconfirmed items. Exchange necessary medical documents through an agreed authorised channel; an enquiry is not carriage or service confirmation.