Aviation Medicine

Our aviation medicine service keeps flight crew and air traffic controllers medically fit to work. We run a GCAA-accredited aeromedical centre and aviation medicine clinics staffed by authorised aeromedical examiners. Together they carry out the certification medicals these roles need, from a first Class 1 assessment to routine renewals.

What is aviation medicine?

Aviation medicine looks after the health, safety and performance of the people who fly. Much of its work is certification: checking that pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers are medically fit to hold a licence, and assessing passengers with a health condition who need to be cleared to travel. An aviation medicine doctor examines, monitors and advises, and works alongside occupational health and other specialities when a wider health issue affects fitness to fly.

When would you see an aviation medicine doctor?

You may need to see an aviation medicine doctor if you:

• Are a pilot, cabin crew member or air traffic controller due an initial or renewal medical certificate
• Are starting flight training and need your first aviation medical
• Are returning to flying after an illness, injury or procedure
• Have developed a new health condition or started a medication that could affect your licence

In the UAE, medical certification for aviation is regulated by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which sets the medical standards. Examinations are carried out by aeromedical examiners the GCAA has authorised, who assess you against those standards and issue your certificate once the requirements are met. An aviation medical is booked directly with an authorised examiner or centre rather than through a GP referral, and your employer or training school can confirm which class of certificate your role requires.

What to expect

An aeromedical examination follows a set routine and is usually completed in a single visit. It begins with a full medical history, then moves on to your eyesight, colour vision and hearing. The examiner also checks your heart and breathing, usually with a heart tracing known as an ECG. Blood and urine samples are taken, and your general and mental health are reviewed before any certificate is issued.

Your role sets the class of certificate: commercial pilots hold a Class 1, private pilots a Class 2, and air traffic controllers a Class 3. If something needs a closer look, you may be asked for further tests or a specialist report, and a certificate can sometimes be issued with a limitation, such as needing to wear glasses. Your examiner explains what any finding means for your licence.

Aviation medicine at Mediclinic

We provide aviation medicine at hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, our GCAA-accredited aeromedical centre carries out initial, annual and reinstatement examinations. Our aviation medical examiners can draw on hospital specialists, in fields such as cardiology and ophthalmology, when a finding needs a closer look. In Abu Dhabi, our aviation medicine clinic is led by a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner and staffed by GCAA-authorised examiners. They assess flight crew and airline staff and issue certificates once the standards are met. Both sites are approved by the GCAA and equipped for the tests its examinations require.