Terms and conditions

As a former BBC editor living with Parkinson's is denied boarding due to his lack of a medical note, Simon Calder looks at the slowly tightening health requirements for flying

- By Simon Calder

“On Saturday, Turkish Airlines decided I wasn’t fit to fly,” writes Mark Mardell.

The former BBC Newsnight political editor, who is living with Parkinson’s disease, says: “Rest assured I wasn’t drunk, violent or even late. No, my sin was having Parkinson’s. “I was flying from Istanbul to Gatwick. Checked in, bag gone down the chute, but before I even got through security I’d been chucked off the flight.

“Apparently, Turkish Airlines has decided that people with Parkinson’s are a danger to themselves or others.”

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and can cause tremors. Mr Mardell is a presenter, along with Jeremy Paxman and other media figures living with Parkinson’s, of the award-winning Movers & Shakers podcast.

He describes his experience at the hands of Turkish Airlines at the carrier’s main base, Istanbul airport. Ground staff insisted he needed a report from his doctor containing the phrase: “There is no harm in travelling by plane.”

The broadcaster has travelled widely by air while living with Parkinson’s. His experience was made worse by having to spend seven hours at the airport trying to retrieve his checked baggage. He then booked a hotel and flew home the next day with Wizz Air, without any problems.

The Independent has approached Turkish Airlines for comment on the incident, and, more widely, on its policy to require a doctor’s report from people living with Parkinson’s or autism.

How widespread are such demands - and why are airlines so concerned about passengers’ health? These are the key questions and answers.

Why do airlines need to know about a passenger’s medical history?