Introduction BTS recommendations for managing passengers with stable respiratory disease planning air travel were published in Thorax in 2011.1 This followed original guidance published in 20022 and an online update in 2004.3 The 2011 recommendations provided an expert consensus view based on literature reviews, aimed at providing practical advice for lung specialists in secondary care. Recognising that knowledge in this area has grown since 2011, and that updated, pragmatic advice regarding which respiratory patients need specialist assessment is required, the Society has commissioned a new clinical statement. Although air travel appears generally safe for those with respiratory disease assessed previously by a lung specialist,4 a decision to undertake air travel should not be taken lightly. Diverted flights incur significant expense and inconvenience, and a patient whose condition deteriorates during flight can pose huge challenges to airline crew and other passengers. High altitude...
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