Airports told to stop failing disabled passengers

The UK regulator has warned that airports must stop failing disabled passengers, or they could face legal action.

Victoria Brignell was left on a plane for more than 90 minutes at Gatwick.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it understood the industry's recruitment challenges, but some recent incidents were ‘unacceptable.’

In some cases, disabled passengers had been left waiting hours on planes for help to get off.

The industry has been struggling with staff shortages in recent months.

Airlines and airports cut thousands of jobs during the pandemic when COVID-19 restrictions virtually shut down international travel.

However, since the demand for flights has returned, they have found it challenging to recruit and train new staff quickly, leading to delays and cancellations.

In a letter to airports, the Civil Aviation Authority said help continued to be supplied promptly “for the vast majority of passengers.”

But the regulator said it was ‘disappointing’ that there had been a “dip in performance at some airports” in recent months, with more disabled and fewer mobile passengers waiting longer for help than usual.

It said it was “very concerned” about increased reports of “significant service failings,” including passenger's wheelchairs not being unloaded promptly and disabled individuals being helped off planes hours after other flyers.

The Civil Aviation Authority added that a higher proportion of airport passengers were also using help services, although the cause of this demand increase was unclear.

The regulator said it would be asking all airports with a high number of passengers using help services to set out by 21st June what measures they had taken to stop “significant service failures happening in the future”.

“We will continue to monitor the quality of service provided closely, and if these significant service failures continue, we will consider what further action is needed, including using enforcement powers,” it added.

The Civil Aviation Authority has powers to investigate and prosecute breaches of aviation rules and some breaches of consumer protection requirements.

The BBC’s Frank Gardner said he had been waiting for help several times.

Earlier this week, one disabled passenger, Victoria Brignell, said she was left on a plane at Gatwick for more than an hour and a half after it had landed, despite booking help three months in advance.

Another wheelchair user said he waited more than two hours for someone to help him disembark at Manchester Airport.

Both airports apologised, with Manchester Airport using "staff shortages" as an excuse.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, who uses a wheelchair, said such situations were becoming “depressingly familiar.”

“The airports are slipping back. The level of investment and effort that goes into making money at these airports is not matched by the effort and money that needs to go into getting disabled passengers off the plane at the same time as everybody else,” he said earlier this week.