‘More work to do’ on airport accessibility, aviation watchdog warns
UK airports need to do “more work” to improve airport accessibility amid rising demand, according to the aviation regulator.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)’s annual accessibility report found requests for assistance from travellers with reduced mobility or disabilities soared last year as travel demand rebounded from Covid-era lows.
Some 4.45m passengers asked for help on departing, arriving connecting flights at UK hubs in 2023/24, a 21 per cent increase year-on-year.
The CAA, which assesses airports each year, said standards of support had increased significantly, with no airports currently in the lowest category.
But it said “more still needs to be done” to make the experience of disabled passengers as good as for others.
A number of airports still sit within the ‘needs improvement’ category, including London Gatwick, the UK’s second largest airport. Gatwick is joined by Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and Norwich airports.
London Heathrow rose to a good rating after investing in a significant number of staff following criticism in 2022/23.
Luton Airport also received a good rating, while London Stansted finished as one of the top hubs in the country for airport accessibility.
Anna Bowles, Head of Consumer Policy and Enforcement at the CAA, said: “Making aviation accessible to all is an important part of our work to protect the public and enable the aerospace sector.
“Progress is being made, and not rating any airports ‘poor’ this year is welcome, but there’s more work to do, especially by those airports we have rated ‘needs improvement’ in our report.
“We will continue to work with the sector to ensure that standards are maintained and improved.”
In total, the CAA’s report ranked 28 airports with more than 150,000 annual passengers on the accessibility of their services.