Overview

The Civil Aviation (Accessibility) Bill aims to improve air travel accessibility for disabled people. It mandates reasonable adjustments by airports and airlines, increased disabled parking at airports, a designated point person for disabled passengers, and a working group to improve aircraft design for accessibility.

Description

This bill introduces several key measures to enhance accessibility for disabled air travelers. Airports and airlines must make "reasonable adjustments" to their services, encompassing support provision, staff training on disability awareness, infrastructure modifications, inter-operator communication, and information provision. Annual reports detailing these measures, including complaints and compensation procedures, are mandatory. Airlines must also report on wheelchair storage on their aircraft.

Airport Parking

The bill requires airports to provide sufficient disabled parking spaces, with the exact minimum proportion to be set by the Secretary of State via regulations. These regulations will consider airport size.

Designated Point Person

Regulations will mandate that airports and airlines appoint a named person responsible for the experience of disabled passengers on each flight, coordinating assistance between entities.

Aircraft Design Working Group

A working group will be established to examine aircraft design and adaptation to better serve disabled passengers, producing annual reports for Parliament.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify direct government spending figures. Costs are likely to fall on airports and airlines through increased infrastructure investment, staff training, and reporting requirements. The establishment of a working group will entail some government expenditure.

Groups Affected

• Disabled Air Passengers: Will experience improved accessibility and support at airports and during flights.
• Airports: Required to make infrastructure changes, implement training programs, and submit annual reports.
• Airlines: Required to make similar adjustments to services and aircraft, and submit reports.
• Civil Aviation Authority (CAA): Responsible for overseeing the implementation and receiving reports.
• Secretary of State: Responsible for setting regulations concerning parking spaces and the working group.

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