Dubai – Last week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
concluded its inaugural Global Accessibility Symposium, the first event
of its kind seeking to improve the air travel experience for passengers
with disabilities.
Hosted by Emirates in their home city of Dubai, the Symposium welcomed
guests from airlines, regulators and accessibility advocacy groups. The
event is in line with an industry resolution
agreed upon by IATA member airlines in June 2019, which commits to
bettering the passenger experience for travelers with disabilities, both
visible and invisible.
“This event showed that collaboration and feedback are crucial. Through
this gathering and other initiatives, airlines are seeking to establish a
better dialogue between industry, advocacy groups and passengers
themselves. While the industry has had standards for persons traveling
with disabilities for some time, we realize there are still gaps and we
need to do more. We’re excited to be on this journey to make air travel
more accessible and inclusive,” said Linda Ristagno, External Affairs
Manager at IATA.
In addition to speakers from airlines including British Airways, Delta
Air Lines, Emirates and WestJet, presenters came from a wide variety of
backgrounds such as regulatory bodies like the UK CAA, Canadian
Transport Agency and Brazilian Ministry of Infrastructure; advocacy
groups such as the Pineda Foundation / World Enabled, the European
Network on Accessible Tourism, Open Doors Organization and Queen
Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People; as well as a number of
industry partners including dnata and Heathrow Airport. Presentations
were also given by representatives from Apple and Microsoft showing the
importance of inclusive design and technological innovation.
The event featured keynotes and panel discussions that addressed a wide
variety of accessibility and inclusion topics. Some of the key issues
raised during the Symposium included:
- Global policy consistency needed for work on accessibility and inclusion in aviation including airline/ground processes and government regulation
- Better understanding needed for the requirements of travelers with hidden disabilities
- Improved and standardized processes needed to streamline handling of mobility aids as the damage rate is too high
- The importance of training was recognized, especially for passenger-facing roles, to ensure inclusive, empathetic and human-centric service is delivered to travelers with disabilities
- Inconsistencies in security policies across airports and states for passenger with disabilities need to be addressed
The findings and results of this event will be used to build upon the
existing IATA accessibility strategy that will lead to clear
deliverables, while continuing the dialogue with passengers, airports
and governments.
“It is a step in the right direction, but the work isn’t done. We will
continue to facilitate the discussion and refine the industry strategy
from here. However, we need governments to help by developing harmonized
regulations, in consultation with industry and accessibility groups,
that provide clarity and global consistency. Working together will help
ensure a safe, reliable and dignified experience that we owe to these
passengers,” said Ristagno.
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