Applies to flights to and from the United States (US and foreign carriers under the Air Carrier Access Act, Part 382); not a global rule. Existing aircraft do not have to be retrofitted. Crew-training provisions of a separate 2024 DOT wheelchair rule remain under DOT review. Facts checked against the CFR text and DOT notices on 2026-10-01.
What the new standards require
Under 14 CFR 382.65, airlines must ensure that new single-aisle aircraft with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of at least 125 seats, delivered on or after October 2, 2026 and equipped with lavatories, carry an onboard wheelchair meeting enhanced accessibility standards. According to the regulation text and an industry summary, the chair must be maneuverable forward and backwards through the cabin aisle by an attendant, have a seat height that makes transfers to and from the passenger seat easier, and have lockable wheels so it stays still during transfers. It must also have a padded seat and backrest, appropriate restraints, and repositionable arm and foot supports. Crucially, it must be able to maneuver into an accessible aircraft lavatory so that a passenger can transfer to the toilet and the lavatory door can close. A companion provision, 14 CFR 382.63(f), requires those same new aircraft to include at least one accessible lavatory with grab bars, accessible controls, and attendant call buttons. Airlines are not required to retrofit existing aircraft to meet these requirements.
Replacements, new purchases, and the 2031 deadline
The October 2, 2026 deadline does more than set standards for new aircraft. After that date, when an airline replaces an onboard wheelchair on an aircraft with a maximum seating capacity of 125 or more passengers, the replacement chair must meet the new standards. Newly acquired onboard wheelchairs for aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats must also meet the standards where compliant equipment is available. And by October 2, 2031, every onboard wheelchair provided for passenger use on aircraft with more than 60 seats must meet the enhanced standards. Separately, carriers must already equip aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats that have an accessible lavatory with an onboard wheelchair, and must provide one on request even when the aircraft has more than 60 seats but no accessible lavatory.
Who the rules cover and what passengers should do
The requirements are part of the US Air Carrier Access Act (Part 382), which applies to both US airlines and foreign airlines operating flights to or from the United States. They do not apply to purely domestic flights in other countries. As a wheelchair user, the practical takeaway is to ask the airline about its onboard wheelchair setup when booking US routes, especially for flights on newly delivered narrow-body aircraft. Airlines must also train flight attendants to proficiency in retrieving, assembling, stowing, and using the onboard wheelchair, and to assist with transfers to and from the lavatory. One caveat: DOT has separately paused enforcement of some provisions of its December 2024 Wheelchair Rule covering refresher-training frequency and airline liability for mishandled wheelchairs while it reviews them, according to a Federal Register notice of enforcement discretion from September 2025. That pause does not change the October 2, 2026 onboard-wheelchair equipment deadline described above.
