Aviation industry to focus on staff training and safe handling of mobility equipment
Earlier this month, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle rental provider Open Road Access (ORA) hosted a groundbreaking webinar in collaboration with the Rights on Flights campaign, which brought together industry leaders, experts, and the disabled community to address pressing accessibility challenges in air travel.
The virtual event explored opportunities for the aviation industry, with a particular focus on making air travel safer, more dignified, and accessible for all. For those who couldn’t attend, the full recording of the webinar is now available on the ORA website.
The webinar led by industry experts, including Christopher Wood MBE, Martyn Sibley, and David Dew-Veal, highlighted the urgent need for change, as current practices in assisting disabled air passengers often lead to unsafe and undignified experiences.
Key issues discussed included damage to mobility aids, outdated legislation, and a lack of effective communication between airlines, airports, and passengers.
David Dew-Veal, co-founder of ORA, said: “This webinar served as an important platform to explore the most pressing challenges faced by the disabled community and the industry today.”
The webinar resulted in a community-driven roadmap to advocate for practical improvements within the aviation sector. This roadmap focuses on improving safety and comfort for disabled passengers, enhancing communication between airlines and airports, and driving greater accountability across the industry.
During the webinar, high-quality, consistent staff training was identified as a top priority, including respectful communication and safe handling of mobility aids such as wheelchairs.
Participants also stressed the importance of engaging the disabled community to develop practical, effective solutions that meet real needs.
Finally, the event explored innovative ideas like dedicated wheelchair spaces on aircraft and seamless sharing of accessibility data across key stakeholders to enhance accessibility and personalisation in air travel.
David added: “As the aviation industry continues to recover and grow in a post-pandemic world, it is more important than ever that we ensure air travel is accessible, comfortable, and safe for everyone.
“The roadmap we’ve developed will help advocate for the changes needed to make this vision a reality.”
Disabled passengers will benefit from better protection when flying thanks to a new expert group spearheaded by Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
