Aberdeen International, Glasgow and Southampton airports, all of which are operated by Ferrovial Airports and AGS Airports Limited, have each received the highest rating of “very good” from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for disability access.
The CAA published its fourth annual report on the disability access of the UK’s largest airports, spanning a 12-month reporting period from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019. The CAA’s accessibility framework is a world-first and is driving improvements in performance to help improve accessibility across UK airports.
To achieve a ‘very good’ classification, airports must provide high quality support on the day of travel to passengers who require additional assistance, as well as keeping in regular contact and consultation with its users. The three main criteria the CAA assess on are: the amount of time that people wait to receive assistance both on departure and arrival; the level of satisfaction with the different aspects of the service; and the quality of the consultation with disability groups and charities, enabling those with a close interest in disability issues to hold airports to account.
The CAA praised Aberdeen International for its “positive engagement with a range of disability groups through its forum, AccessABZ.” Glasgow Airport was praised for its “significant investment and good management oversight driving its everyday performance”, whilst Southampton was recognised for its “commitment to ongoing consultation with the disability community.”
“It’s extremely important that anyone who requires additional support feels confident to travel knowing they can expect a comfortable and seamless journey through our airports. Over the course of the past year we have continued to invest in staff training and in further improving our facilities. This has included the opening of Changing Places toilets in both Aberdeen and Glasgow airports to support passengers with complex health care needs”
“Together with our dedicated service providers, we regularly engage with local access panels and national charities to discuss how we can continually enhance the service we provide. For all of our airports to receive a rating of ‘very good’ from the CAA is a clear indication that our efforts are well placed and, more importantly, passengers are seeing the benefits of our investment”
