1.3 Class 2 Medical Certification & Decrease of Medical Fitness
Key Takeaways
- Nig. CARs 2.5.1.3(b) and 2.11.2.7 require an applicant for a cabin crew licence to hold a Class 2 medical certificate; Class 3 is the air traffic controller certificate.
- A Class 2 medical certificate for a cabin crew licence is valid for 24 months, reduced to 12 months once the holder has passed their 40th birthday.
- Validity runs from the date of the medical examination and the Authority may extend a medical certificate by up to 45 days at its discretion.
- Nig. CARs 2.11.1.6(b) requires a licence holder to inform the Authority of any decrease in medical fitness lasting more than 20 days, or requiring continued prescribed medication, or requiring hospital treatment.
- A pregnant applicant is assessed unfit unless obstetrical evaluation shows a low-risk uncomplicated pregnancy, in which case a fit assessment is limited to the end of the 12th week until the end of the 26th week of gestation.
Class 2, not Class 3
This is the single most commonly mis-taught fact about Nigerian cabin crew licensing. Nig. CARs 2.5.1.3(b) states that the applicant for a cabin crew licence shall hold a Class 2 medical certificate issued under Part 2. 2.11.2.7(a) repeats it: an applicant for an SPA, PPL, FE and cabin crew licence shall undergo an initial medical examination for the issue of a Class 2 medical certificate.
Class 3 in Nig. CARs is the air traffic controller certificate. If an answer option pairs cabin crew with Class 3, it is wrong.
| Class | Licences it supports (Nig. CARs) | Baseline validity |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | CPL, MPL, ATPL | 12 months |
| Class 2 | Cabin crew | 24 months |
| Class 2 | Flight Engineer | 12 months |
| Class 2 | PPL | 60 months |
| Class 2 | Student Pilot Authorisation (SPA) | 24 months |
| Class 3 | Air traffic controller | 48 months |
Validity and the age-40 rule
The validity period of a Class 2 certificate for the cabin crew licence is 24 months. Nig. CARs 2.11.1.8(c)(2)(i)(D) then provides the one exception a cabin crew member needs: when the holder has passed their 40th birthday, the 24-month interval for the cabin crew licence and the SPA is reduced to 12 months.
Three further mechanics govern the dates:
- Validity is set by age at examination. The period of validity is based on the applicant's age at the time of undergoing the medical examination, not at the time of issue.
- How the last month is counted. Validity begins on the date the examination is performed. The last month counted includes the day with the same calendar number as the examination date; if that month has no such day, the last day of that month is used.
- A discretionary extension of up to 45 days may be granted by the Authority.
Worked example. A cabin crew member is examined on 12 September 2026, aged 38. Her certificate runs to 12 September 2028 (24 months). She turns 40 in January 2028. Her existing certificate is unaffected — the reduction applies to the interval assigned at the next examination, which as a 40-year-old will be 12 months.
The medical certificate is chargeable at ₦10,000 for ATC and cabin crew licences under the NCAA Schedule of Fees and Charges, with an ECG reading fee of ₦5,000 where an electrocardiogram is required.
Carriage and the medical standard
Nig. CARs 2.11.1.8(a)(1)(ii) requires the medical certificate to be carried in the possession of the licence holder at all times while exercising the privileges of the licence. The issue of a Class 2 certificate may be delegated to any authorised Aviation Medical Examiner (AME); Class 1 issue may be delegated specifically to an Authorised Aeromedical Examiner (AAME).
The governing clinical standard in 2.11.2.7(b) is stated as a functional test rather than a list of measurements: the applicant shall not suffer from any disease or disability which could render that applicant likely to become suddenly unable either to operate an aircraft safely or to perform assigned duties safely, and shall have no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of conditions such as organic mental disorder, substance-related disorder including alcohol dependence, schizophrenia or a schizotypal or delusional disorder, or a mood (affective) disorder that might render the applicant unable to exercise the privileges safely.
An applicant who does not meet a requirement may still be considered for discretionary issue under 2.11.1.5 where, in the Authority's judgement, the failure to meet the requirement — numerical or otherwise — is not likely to jeopardise flight safety.
Decrease of medical fitness — the 20-day rule
Nig. CARs 2.11.1.6 places two duties on the holder:
- Do not fly when you know you are unfit. Holders shall not exercise the privileges of their licences at any time when they are aware of any decrease in their medical fitness which might render them unable to exercise those privileges safely. This applies from the moment of awareness — no external certification is needed to ground yourself.
- Report the significant ones. Holders shall inform the Authority of any decrease in medical fitness that is of a duration of more than 20 days, or which requires continued treatment with prescribed medication, or which has required hospital treatment.
Note the structure: three independent triggers joined by or. A two-day admission for appendicectomy is reportable on the hospital-treatment limb even though it lasts far less than 20 days. Ongoing antihypertensive medication is reportable on the prescribed-medication limb even if the crew member feels entirely well. Only the first limb is a duration test, and the threshold is more than 20 days.
Pregnancy
Nig. CARs does not ground a pregnant cabin crew member automatically. Under the Class 2 provisions:
- A pregnant applicant shall be assessed as unfit unless obstetrical evaluation and continued medical supervision indicate a low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancy.
- Where the pregnancy is low-risk and uncomplicated and is evaluated and supervised accordingly, the fit assessment is limited to the period from the end of the 12th week until the end of the 26th week of gestation.
- Following confinement or termination of pregnancy, the holder shall not exercise the privileges of her licence until she has undergone re-evaluation in accordance with best medical practice and has been assessed as fit.
So the flying window is a defined, medically supervised band in the second trimester — not an immediate and blanket suspension on confirmation of pregnancy, and not permission to fly to term.
Which medical certificate class must the holder of a Nigerian cabin crew licence hold, and for how long is it valid for a 33-year-old crew member?
A 42-year-old cabin crew member undergoes a medical examination on 5 May 2026. Until when is the Class 2 certificate valid?
A cabin crew member is discharged after a three-day hospital admission and returns to full health within a week. What does Nig. CARs 2.11.1.6 require?