I've looked through the 'UAE CAR Part II Chapter 5' (
MEDICAL PROVISIONS FOR LICENSING - 1 January, 2008) and it seemingly does
NOT refer to BMI being a limiting factor.
That said, in the UAE CIVIL AVIATION
ADVISORY PUBLICATION (CAAP) 19 - AEROMEDICAL (1 August, 2004) the sections say (
nb. my emphasis in red):
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document (UAE CAAP 19) is to provide guidelines for the administration of the Aeromedical Examiner System (AME System) including procedures for designating and terminating the designation of aeromedical examiners (AMEs).
7.11 Body Mass Index And Obesity
Body mass index or BMI is body weight (in Kilograms) divided by height (in meters). This is one of the reliable methods of estimating obesity. For adults ages 20-29, the 85th percentile for BMI is roughly 27.8 for males and 27.3 for females.
A 20 percent increase in BMI above the 85th percentile for young adults constitutes a health risk.
The health risks most commonly associated with a high BMI include nutritional, metabolic, and endocrinological disorders. Reference UAE CAR Part II, Chapter 5, 5.4.2.19 an applicant with any of these disorders shall be assessed as unfit. It is suggested that the BMI for all applicants for all classes of medical certificates should be calculated and the following guidelines should be followed.
(a) When the candidate has a BMI of between 27 and 30 he/she would require counselling from the AME regarding diet, exercise and behavioural changes.
(b) A BMI of between 30 and 35 should require an additional battery of tests to exclude the nutritional, metabolic, and endocrinological disorders before the candidate can be deemed fit. The minimum tests required would be Lipid profile, Fasting Blood Sugar, and Thyroid Function Tests.
(c) A BMI of above 35 should require the minimum additional testing as for (b) but also may need the candidate to successfully qualify a medical flight simulator testing and a cardiovascular assessment.
(d) For a BMI of 40 and above a limitation of “Multi-pilot,” or “As or with Co-pilot might be required for the flight crew and could thus disqualify a newcomer into the system. This could depend on the presence of any additional risk factors and it would entirely be at the discretion of the GCAA.
In the above it makes a reference to '
UAE CAR Part II, Chapter 5, 5.4.2.19' which (
as of 1 January, 2008) says:
5.4.2.19 An applicant who has undergone a major surgical operation on the biliary passages or the digestive tract or its adnexa, which has involved a total or partial excision or a diversion of any of these organs should be assessed as unfit until such time as the medical authority designated for the purpose by the GCAA and having access to the details of the operation concerned considers the effects of the operation are not likely to cause incapacity in the air Cases of metabolic, nutritional or endocrine disorders likely to interfere with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges shall be assessed as unfit.
5.4.2.20 Cases of metabolic, nutritional or endocrine disorders likely to interfere with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges shall be assessed as unfit.
5.4.2.21 Applicants with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus shall be assessed as unfit.
5.4.2.21.1 Applicants with non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus shall be assessed as unfit unless the condition is shown to be satisfactorily controlled by diet alone or by diet combined with oral anti-diabetic medication, the use of which is compatible with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges.
5.4.2.22 Cases of severe and moderate enlargement of the spleen persistently below the costal margin shall be assessed as unfit.
5.4.2.23 Cases of significant localised and generalised enlargement of the lymphatic glands and of diseases of the blood shall be assessed as unfit, except in cases where accredited medical conclusion indicates that the condition is not likely to affect the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges.
blah blah blah etc etc etc....
So, does anybody have further updates on this and / or have the above been superseded by new GCAA Regulations or Advisories?