Airport assistance for disabled passengers in the UK: what changes

The Department for Transport published a report by the industry accessibility group on 19 October 2026, together with a list of measures UK airports and airlines have begun to introduce. The background is not cheerful: more than 1,000 wheelchairs were damaged in transit in 2023, over eighty a month.

What was announced on 19 October?

The government backed the report of the Aviation Accessibility Implementation Group, the industry body the Department for Transport set up to turn accessibility recommendations into practice. It has two co-chairs: independent mobility specialist Ann Frye OBE and Steve Wilson, Assisted Travel Manager at Jet2.com. The group replaced the temporary Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, whose recommendations were shaped with former Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said disabled passengers should be able to fly "with dignity and peace of mind".

How many wheelchairs are damaged in transit?

The report says more than 1,000 wheelchairs were damaged in 2023, roughly 80-plus a month. As a share that is 0.43 per cent of all wheelchairs carried — a small number on paper, but each case leaves a person without their means of movement in an unfamiliar city.

Demand is rising. Airlines UK reports that the number of passengers requiring assistance is up almost 10 per cent year on year. AirportsUK, citing Civil Aviation Authority data, says demand for accessibility services has doubled over the past ten years. Airlines UK puts satisfaction with the air travel experience at 82 per cent.

What already works and what is only promised?

Already in place: since March 2026 a standardised form lets a passenger share details of their wheelchair in advance — battery type and handling instructions. Staff training is designed with disabled passengers themselves, so a traveller does not have to explain their condition to every new member of staff. Gatwick produced a disability training video in 2025; Luton has published accessibility maps and pre-journey materials.

Only planned: a trial of a digital platform where passengers state the support they need before travelling — buggy assistance across the terminal, a separate security queue or a quiet waiting area. The group is also pushing for airline and airport websites to line up, with "one click" access to information. A partnership between airlines, airports and mobility aid manufacturers is being prepared to make wheelchairs — especially lithium-battery ones — safer to carry and handle.

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What assistance are you legally entitled to?

Assistance is free, and it is not a favour. Under Civil Aviation Authority rules, a passenger with a disability or reduced mobility is legally entitled to it when departing from a UK airport on any airline, and when arriving at a UK airport on a UK or EU airline.

It covers the whole journey: moving through the departure airport, boarding, support on board, disembarking, transfers and getting through the destination airport. The right applies not only to wheelchair users but to people with hidden disabilities such as autism or dementia.

What would the Civil Aviation Bill change?

The main money change has not passed yet. The Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill is still going through Parliament: the House of Lords completed report stage on 13 July 2026, with third reading scheduled for 20 July. If it becomes law, the regulator will be able to act faster and harder — including fines for airlines and airports that fail to support a disabled passenger or to compensate a cancelled flight.

The second point matters most to wheelchair users: removing the compensation cap for a lost or damaged mobility aid on domestic UK flights is under discussion. Neither the DfT release nor the parliamentary material names any figures.

A consultation on accessibility reforms is due to launch within 12 months of Royal Assent. That stage has not been reached.

What should you do if your wheelchair is damaged?

The Civil Aviation Authority advises starting with the carrier: complain to the airline or the airport first, and only then approach the regulator. The sooner damage is recorded — and the more detail about the chair was supplied in advance through that standardised form introduced in March 2026 — the easier it is to prove what condition the equipment was in when it went into the hold.