Manchester Airport ‘poorest airport in UK for disabled access’

Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport is the poorest airport in the UK for providing access for disabled travellers, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said.

The airport, one of England’s largest, has been rated ‘poor’ for the second year running, and is one of four falling short this year alongside Birmingham, London Stansted and London Gatwick.

According to the CAA, Manchester's problems consisted of ‘long waiting times for assistance’ and ‘issues with the recording and reporting of performance data.’

A Manchester Airport spokesman, said: “We acknowledge the findings of the CAA’s Accessibility Report and are committed to making further improvements to ensure we meet the required standards for passengers who require special assistance.

“The report highlights a number of positive steps Manchester Airport has taken in the last 12 months to improve our service for passengers with disabilities. These include the introduction of the Sunflower Lanyard for customers with hidden disabilities and setting up a dedicated airport Disability Engagement Forum, which has played an important role in developing our plan to improve performance.

“We have also worked with our service provider, OCS, and our airline partners to invest in the provision of additional resources and equipment across the airport.  Our passenger survey results for the last year have demonstrated the benefits of this investment and highlighted a high level of satisfaction with the level of customer service and friendliness of the assistance team.

“As the report notes, our £1bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme is a long term commitment to delivering significant improvements to the customer experience, many of which will be felt as early as April next year.

“We continue to work closely with the CAA on meeting the commitments we have made, and reducing the time it takes for those with restricted mobility to travel through the airport.”