Edinburgh and Prestwick criticised over airport disabled services
Two of Scotland's busiest airports have been criticised by the aviation regulator for services they provide to disabled passengers.Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport were both listed as needing improvement in a new report by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.Airports across the UK were graded by the regulator and considered either very good, good or needing improvement.Only three airports in the whole UK were rated as needing improvement, with London Heathrow the other one.
Edinburgh Airport - which has more than 15 million passengers a year - "did not meet the standards for the provision of assistance in a timely manner", according to the report.It said the problems were "primarily due to operational issues caused by a change of contractor for its service provider".This happened earlier in 2024/25 but "now appears to be resolved."The report added Scotland's busiest airport was now providing a "very good" standard since the operational issues ended.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which has more than 2 million passengers a year, was criticised for failing to meet the standards to consult with disabled groups and individuals.The regulator added Prestwick had now committed to putting in place an access forum.Selina Chadha, group director for consumers and markets at the regulator, said: "It is welcome that most airports scored positively, but there is clearly more to do from those found to be needing improvement. "With demand for these services rising dramatically in recent years, all airports have a huge challenge ahead to ensure they continue to offer the assistance services their passengers deserve."
'Significant improvements'
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said the rating came during "a particularly challenging time for our PRM operation, due to a change of provider, staff shortages, and a surge in demand for the service."He added: "We have increased our investment in the service to more than £6m and have worked closely with our provider to implement new and improved processes and oversight. "These efforts have led to significant improvements, and our goal remains to return to and maintain a good or very good rating."A spokesperson for Glasgow Prestwick said the Ayrshire airport was working to address the issues from the report.They said: "While we are naturally disappointed to have fallen in the ratings after maintaining top tier status for six consecutive reports."We want to reassure passengers that this rating does not reflect operational issues, or the quality of assistance delivered on the ground."The downgrade related to engagement with specific accessibility and disability groups which we recognise is an important part of continuous improvement."
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