European airports trade association committed to give people with disabilities customer service excellence
- Written by Roberto Castiglioni
A decade ago, the adoption of Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 marked a milestone in European transport, the European airports trade association ACI EUROPE said marking the tenth anniversary of (EC) 1107/2006.
European air transport was the first mode to acknowledge that people with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (PRM) had the same rights as all other citizens to free movement, freedom of choice and non-discrimination.
"Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 put European airports at the core of the provision of assistance to these passengers," ACI Europe Facilitation manager Federico Bonaudi said. "Over the last ten years, ACI EUROPE and its member airports have taken the lead in further developing best practices and sharing experiences to the benefit of an ever-growing group of travellers. The success of the legislation has also been the basis for an extension to other transport modes."
Constant improvement of infrastructure and services are at the heart of the recipe to meet the ever-evolving needs of passengers with disabilities. However, ACI Europe points out that airports are not alone in this never ending effort to deliver seamless journeys to all passengers.
"European airports are not alone in their efforts to guarantee the provision of assistance that ensures opportunities for air travel 
comparable to those of other citizens," Bonaudi said. "Communication and interaction with air carriers, regulators and the associations of persons with disabilities are vital for the necessary compliance with the legislation."
ACI Europe recently conducted a survey among its members to understand if and where there is room for improvement. "Although a lot of progress has been made in terms of accessibility for all, there are still barriers that persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility still face when travelling by air," Bonaudi said. "ACI EUROPE regularly monitors compliance with Regulation 1107/2006 in its member airports; some preliminary results of the 2016 “PRM Survey on the application of Regulation (EC) N° 1107/2006 concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air” will be presented in this edition of Passenger Terminal Expo."
Federico Bonaudi will be speaking on 15 March 2016 at the Passenger Terminal Conference in Cologne. Click here to read more about the Ageing Population and PRMs track of #PTECologne
