Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport have been named as the two best airports in the UK for accessibility. This is according to a thorough review of 30 of the busiest airports in the UK.
Coming in joint first place for accessibility, Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport were recognized for the significant investments they have both made in improving the airport experience for passengers with a range of disabilities, in terms of service and facilities.
Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport scored consistently well across its assessment criteria, which factored in elements like hidden disability lanyard schemes, initiatives to support hard of hearing and visually impaired passengers and investments in Changing Places facilities.
Both airports also received a ‘very good’ rating from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in its Airport accessibility report 2018/19, with the CAA stating that they are “the only airports with more than nine million passengers a year to achieve a very good rating”.
The findings of the review paint a largely positive picture of airport accessibility in the UK, with, for example, 22 out of the 30 airports ranked achieving a rating of 60% and above.
In general, larger airports performed better than smaller airports when it came to accessibility.
However, Belfast City was one of the main exceptions, with the small airport achieving a final rating of 83%. It ended up ranked joint fifth, along with London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol, Newcastle, Liverpool and East Midlands.
Top 10 airports in the UK for accessibility:
1. Edinburgh Airport (EDI) – 100%
2. Glasgow Airport (GLA) – 100%
3. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) – 96%
= Birmingham Airport (BHX) – 96%
4. London Gatwick Airport (LGW) – 83%
= London Luton Airport – 83%
= Bristol Airport (BRS) – 83%
= Newcastle Airport (NCL) – 83%
= Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) – 83%
= East Midlands (EMA) – 83%
= George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) – 83%
5. Manchester Airport (MAN) – 79%
6. Belfast International Airport (BFS) – 77%
7. Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK)– 75%
= Newquay Airport (NQY) – 75%
8. London Stanstead Airport (STN)– 71%
= Cardiff Airport (CWL) – 71%
9. Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) – 63%
= Southampton Airport (SOU) – 63%
= Exeter Airport (EXT) – 63%
= Norwich Airport (NWI) – 63%
10. Doncaster Sheffield (DSA) – 60%
