Latest news with #disabledPassengers
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Telegraph
Heathrow accused of covering up delays for disabled passengers
Heathrow has been accused of covering up how long some disabled passengers were left stranded in airport corridors. In a new report, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) singled out Heathrow for failing to properly record delays that were observed by its officials. It said that in some instances, Heathrow had failed to accurately report incidents involving disabled passengers who had to wait up to 45 minutes for help after landing. The problems were detected at Heathrow's Terminal 3, according to the regulator, which listed the airport among the worst in Britain for accessibility. It said: 'During our in-person monitoring at Heathrow Terminal 3, there were discrepancies between the data logged and the experiences of passengers we observed, with some passengers not being assisted on arrival in a timely manner. 'We noted that while passengers were generally disembarked from an aircraft quickly, some passengers then waited for the equipment needed to provide assistance, such as buggies or wheelchairs.' In the worst cases, observers saw disabled customers still stuck at the gate more than three quarters of an hour after their plane had arrived, the CAA said in its annual Airport Accessibility Performance Report. Passengers were left in the arrivals corridor for 'unacceptable periods of time without access to toilets or other facilities', it said. The regulator added that Heathrow needed to reassess its approach to overseeing how it measured its performance at Terminal 3. It said: 'Discrepancies were identified between waiting time data provided to the CAA and that observed through audit processes undertaken both by the CAA and the airport's own internal audits. 'Given these concerns, we cannot be assured that the waiting time standards were met at Terminal 3, and we do not consider that Heathrow is meeting the requirement for an airport to have robust processes in place for overseeing how it measures its performance.' The accessibility report listed Heathrow as one of three UK airports requiring improvement in their treatment of the disabled. Two Scottish hubs also fell into the bottom category, out of 28 airports that were assessed. Edinburgh Airport was found to have failed to provide assistance to passengers in a timely manner, while Prestwick, on the Ayrshire coast 25 miles from Glasgow, was criticised for inadequate consultation with disability groups. The CAA's eighth accessibility report rated 14 airports as 'good' and 11 as 'very good', with London Gatwick among those in the top category, having previously been assessed as requiring improvement. Some 5.5m passengers requested assistance at UK airports last year, representing 1.9pc of the total, up from 0.9pc in 2010. The CAA said that, despite this, the gap in satisfaction levels between disabled and non-disabled passengers had narrowed sharply, with 82pc of those with mobility issues satisfied with their most recent flight, compared with 84pc for all travellers. Javier Echave, Heathrow's chief operating officer, said the CAA's findings were based on audits conducted late last year and that the issues had been addressed by the end of the reporting period. He said the regulator had rated service stands for the disabled as 'very good' in Terminals 2, 4 and 5, covering the vast majority of passengers. He added: 'We are investing in new equipment, introducing designated security lanes, and expanding support to help passengers with assistance needs travel more independently.'
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
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 Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport were both listed as needing improvement in a new report by the UK Civil Aviation across the UK were graded by the regulator and considered either very good, good or needing 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 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 regulator added Prestwick had now committed to putting in place an access 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 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."
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
‘Get a grip!': Disabled BBC correspondent slams Heathrow after long wait to disembark plane
At the end of a flight of over 13 hours from Singapore to London Heathrow, the BBC's Frank Gardner was kept waiting for over an hour and a half for assistance after all the other passengers had left the aircraft. The security correspondent has used a wheelchair since he was shot six times in an Al Qaeda gun attack in Saudi Arabia in 2004. The British Airways Boeing 777 arrived from Singapore at 6.45am, and parked at a remote stand at Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 5. Other passengers walked down the stairs to waiting buses. Normally ground staff working for Wilson James, a contractor used by Heathrow airport, meet aircraft at remote stands to help disabled passengers leave the aircraft using a medical lift. But they were nowhere to be seen. Mr Gardner waited a further one hour and 35 minutes after the last passenger left. The BBC journalist told The Independent: 'Why should disabled passengers have so much worse service than everybody else?' Mr Gardner posted on X (formerly Twitter): 'Annoyed to find that @HeathrowAirport is slipping back into its old bad habits, leaving disabled passengers still waiting for a high-lift to turn up so we can get off the plane, long after all others have disembarked. 'Other airports can manage. C'mon Heathrow, get a grip!' The correspondent was full of praise for the British Airways crew on board, who had just worked for 14 hours. He said: 'The captain was brilliant, saying, 'I would never leave the plane with another passenger on board – I'm the captain of the ship.' 'The crew were so helpful and sympathetic, and they could not have been nicer.' Mr Gardner said that after help finally arrived, he was told by a Wilson James operations manager that two of the five medical lifts had gone out of service overnight. In 2018, the correspondent was kept waiting at Heathrow for 100 minutes to disembark from an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. The-then chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, later met Mr Gardner to discuss improvements. 'He said, 'I'll give you an hour of my time to learn what we need to do better',' Mr Gardner said. The Independent has asked Heathrow airport and Wilson James, the contractor, to comment.
