Accessibility arrangements at UK airports are improving, according to the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) latest report, with all airports avoiding a ‘poor’ rating for the first time since 2020.
In the annual survey of every airport with an annual passenger volume of more than 150,000, a total of 11 were rated ‘very good’ for accessibility, 12 were ‘good’ and the five rated as ‘needs improvement’ were Bristol, Gatwick, Cardiff, Liverpool and Norwich.
Anna Bowles, head of consumer policy and enforcement at the CAA, said: “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.”
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Airports rated ‘very good’ were Belfast City, City of Derry, Newquay, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Prestwick, Southampton, Stansted and Teesside.
Those rated ‘good’ were Aberdeen, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Exeter, Heathrow, Inverness, London City, Luton, Manchester and Sumburgh.
Heathrow progressed from its ‘needs improvement’ rating, issued last year, after investing “in a significant number of staff” for its accessibility services, the CAA said.
Responding to the report, AirportsUK chief executive Karen Dee said: “Airports work very hard to ensure that passengers who require extra assistance can enjoy the benefits of air travel and while there is always more to be done, we are heading in the right direction.
“More investment is being made in staff, training, technologies and accessible infrastructure, and airports are in continuous discussion with passenger groups to incorporate feedback, meaning we are confident we will continue to see improvements.”
The CAA created the Airport Accessibility Framework in 2014, setting out a key set of standards for airports.
The framework states how the regulator expects all passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility to be treated. It also commits to releasing accessibility results annually to hold the aviation industry to account.
This year’s report, which the CAA said was written amid a significant increase in passenger demand, was the first to include a ‘deep dive’ assessment of certain airports.
Heathrow, Stansted and Luton were assessed in greater depth this year, with the new approach set to continue in the future.
The CAA encourages airports to increase staffing and invest in equipment during winter when demand for flights is lower.
The regulator also now has a representative who attends forum meetings of the top 16 airports most used by passengers.
In addition to the latest airport report, the CAA has published its new accessibility framework for airlines.
Read Travel Weekly’s themed edition on accessible travel here (published on July 11).