China Southern Airlines may consider an involuntary refund due to passenger illness caused by serious injury or disease.

The airline considers each case individually, so the decision will depend on the documents provided.

Important: If you realize you cannot fly, inform us or the airline before departure. For an involuntary refund, seats on the flight must be canceled in advance. If the flight has already been missed, the ticket can only be refunded according to the fare rules.

Furthermore, the airline does not consider illness-related requests if a voluntary refund has already been processed for the ticket.

What documents are needed

Prepare a medical certificate or another document confirming that you are unable to travel.

The document must include:

• information about the illness or injury;

• signature of the attending physician;

• seal of the medical institution;

• contact information of the medical institution.

Please note: the certificate must be issued no later than the departure date.

In addition to medical documents, you will need:

• photo or scan of the passenger's passport;

• receipt for medical services;

• contract for medical services.

Document language

The airline accepts medical documents in Russian, English, or Chinese. In some cases, the airline may additionally request a translation. 

What's important to know

Only an involuntary refund can be processed for medical reasons. Ticket exchange is not provided in such cases. 

What happens next

After reviewing the documents, the airline will make a decision on your request.

As soon as we receive a response, we will immediately inform you of the result and further actions.

How to submit a request 

To create a request for an involuntary refund due to illness, open your order in your personal account → click “Refund Ticket” in the app or “Process Refund” on the website → select the desired flight and the reason “Involuntary Refund”. 

When creating a request, you can remove yourself from the flight — if you are absolutely sure you will not fly. Please note: once seats are canceled, they cannot be restored, and the ticket will become invalid. 

If you already have the medical documents, attach them to the request. 

After submitting the application, you will receive an automatic email — please read it carefully.  All responses and updates regarding the request will come to this same correspondence — nothing will be lost.