Southend rated most accessible airport
London Southend Airport has today been rated the most accessible airport in London and the South East by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The Airport Accessibility Report awarded sixteen airports with a “Very Good” rating, with London Southend the only one representing the capital’s airports.
The report is the third annual review of accessibility of UK airports carried out by the CAA and covers the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018. The results were based against three criteria; the amount of time that people wait to receive assistance; the level of satisfaction with the different aspects of the service; and the quality of the consultation with disability groups and charities.
Commenting on the report findings Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, owners of London Southend Airport said: “We are very proud to have received a ‘Very Good’ rating, reflecting the hard work and pride that the London Southend Airport team put in to making this such a great facility. We want to make sure people enjoy travelling through our airport and it is an efficient and easily accessible experience, as we offer quick access to London and a wide range of European travel destinations, with our Dublin route also providing ongoing connectivity to the USA.”
Paul Smith, Consumers and Markets Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We are pleased that surveys show that satisfaction levels remain high and the vast majority of passengers’ journeys go smoothly. The improved performance of many airports means disabled passengers should have even more confidence to travel from UK airports.”
Baroness Sugg, UK Aviation Minister, added: “It’s essential that passengers with reduced mobility or hidden disabilities get the service they deserve every time they fly. The CAA has stepped up its work in this area and plays an important role in showing where improvement still needs to be made. I welcome the progress made by airports to improve accessibility and will continue to work with all of the aviation industry to make flying easier for disabled passengers.”
The CAA report said that in 2017 over 3 million requests were made for assistance at UK airports and requests for assistance are increasing at a rate of around double that of general passenger growth. The Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) most recent UK Aviation consumer survey shows that, of recent travellers who received mobility assistance, 42% stated that they had requested the assistance for the first time (up from 34% in the previous survey).
Further, 83% of assistance users were satisfied overall with the assistance that they have received, with between 54% saying that they were very satisfied. Good accessibility at airports does not just help the people who use the assistance, but also the family members and friends that they are travelling with. It is a positive story for the aviation industry that disabled people feel increasingly confident to use the assistance provided at UK airports.