Global aviation organisations have agreed a set of priorities for developing worldwide standards on accessibility in air travel.
Airline association Iata, Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreed on the priorities for improving and aligning air travel accessibility at a joint symposium in Montreal this week.
The event, hosted by ICAO, drew representatives of industry, governments, national regulators and accessibility advocacy groups.
Iata director general Willie Walsh noted: “Airlines, airports and regulators all want to provide safe, reliable and dignified travel to every passenger. But it is no secret that accessibility poses challenges for a significant number of passengers who have disabilities.”
He said: “The symposium cemented consensus to build a global accessibility strategy for states to consider at next year’s ICAO Assembly.
“Linking disparate approaches into a practical global outcome that will deliver for travellers without disappointment is the goal.”
Walsh suggested that making a global accessibility strategy one of ICAO’s priorities “is already a good start”.
ACI World director general Justin Erbacci argued: “While current regulations address accessibility within individual jurisdictions, achieving significant progress requires a cohesive framework on an international scale.
“ACI acknowledges ICAO’s pivotal role in uniting stakeholders to develop such frameworks.”
He said: “The discussions at the symposium will help pave the way to building a more inclusive and accessible air transport system. Our collective commitment to accessibility has never been stronger.”
ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar suggested: “The insights from this symposium will prove invaluable in ensuring our work addresses all needs.”
The symposium noted the growing urgency to addressing accessibility in air travel, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting that more than 1.3 billion people, or about 16% of the global population, live with some form of disability, and the proportion is forecast to grow as the world’s population ages.
Work on an accessibility strategy and programme is already underway at ICAO and next year’s ICAO Assembly is due to review a harmonised global framework on accessibility.