The CAA is poised to release its latest Airport Accessibility Report having noted that “all airports are expected to meet the requirements” on accessibility following its report a year ago.
Its 2022-23 report on 26 UK airports handling more than 150,000 passengers a year reported 18 achieved a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ rating for accessibility services, and seven more moved from a ‘poor’ to a good or very good rating over the year – including Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester. But Heathrow was rated as “needing improvement”.
Heathrow’s accessibility services were found to “vary between terminals, with targets routinely met in Terminals 2 and 4, and lower performance in Terminals 3 and 5”.
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However, the CAA acknowledged Heathrow faces “unique challenges” having seen “a large increase in the number of disabled and less-mobile passengers” and already handles the highest proportion of passengers requiring assistance and “a high number of flights with sometimes 10% to 20% of passengers requiring assistance”.
The findings followed an interim accessibility report in December 2022 which suggested eight of the UK’s largest airports needed to improve their service to ensure disabled and less-mobile passengers “did not have to wait an unreasonably long time for assistance”.
The CAA noted last July that its data shows “a marked increase in the proportion of passengers requesting assistance” since 2010 and concluded: “The vast majority of UK airports are now performing well, with many excelling in the provision of assistance.”
It noted a CAA consumer survey found “disabled passengers are significantly more likely than non-disabled passengers to say the experience of flying has got better over the past five years (30% v 20%)”.
However, it added: “The CAA is conscious that more needs to be done to improve the assistance provided to some. Airports and airlines must continue to adapt.”