LIVERPOOL’s John Lennon airport is one of the best in the UK for disabled passengers, according to the Civil Aviation Authority’s annual report.
The aviation regulator’s Airport Accessibility Report, which assesses 26 of the largest UK airports, ranks the Speke-based terminal among 18 airports that have consistently achieved a good or very good rating throughout the past year.
Paul Smith, joint-interim chief executive at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “This report shows the dedicated efforts of airports across the UK to ensure that all passengers receive the standard of service they deserve.
“With 18 airports consistently achieving good or very good ratings, and others demonstrating significant improvements, the industry is making strides in returning accessibility levels to those seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Manchester was also singled out for its rapid improvement in facilities and services during the last half of the year.
The airport delivered significant improvements in wait times for arriving disabled and less mobile passengers, achieving very good ratings in the third and fourth quarters.
The regulator said: “We are pleased to report that Manchester has invested heavily in recruitment and equipment, with a 40% increase in staffing and a 20% increase in high-lift vehicles since summer 2022.
“In addition, Manchester has made changes to its security lanes to improve the experience of disabled passengers through the departures journey, such as providing a separate lane for families which allows the assistance lane to be used exclusively by disabled and less mobile passengers.
“Renovations at Terminal 2 have included wider corridors so that electric buggies can be used in more areas which provides a better experience for passengers arriving on flights with high numbers of passengers who request assistance.”
Praise also came for East Midlands airport, “which provided a very good service to disabled and less mobile passengers throughout the year.
“We were impressed by the investment it had recently made in its assistance service. This included the purchase of new, and refitting existing, high-lift vehicles and the installation of a live chat service allowing passengers to request assistance and stay in touch with staff throughout their airport journey.”
Seven airports improved from a poor rating to a good or very good rating over the year.
London Luton, previously highlighted as a lower performing airport in an interim report published in December, made significant improvements, scoring very good in the last quarter.
London Heathrow was the only airport to be classed as poor and in need of improvement.
VERY GOOD or good throughout the year: Aberdeen, Belfast City, Belfast International, Bournemouth, Cardiff, City of Derby, Cornwall Newquay, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Inverness, Liverpool, London City, Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton.
