Most UK airports rated good or very good for accessibility in latest CAA annual report

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its annual Airport Accessibility Report, revealing a generally positive trend in how UK airports are supporting disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility. While the majority of the 28 assessed airports were rated as good or very good, the CAA found that London Heathrow (LHR), Edinburgh (EDI), and Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) airports need to improve their services.

The report, released on 25 June 2025, ranks airports based on a standard framework measuring performance from April 2024 to March 2025. This includes metrics such as waiting times, the quality and accuracy of data, passenger satisfaction, and engagement with disabled passengers and advocacy groups.

A total of 11 airports achieved a ‘very good’ rating, including Belfast City (BHD), East Midlands (EMA), Newcastle (NCL), Teesside (MME), Aberdeen (ABZ), Belfast International (BFS), Bournemouth (BOH), Exeter (EXT), and London Luton (LTN). Cardiff (CWL) and London Gatwick (LGW) also made significant improvements after being rated ‘needs improvement’ last year.

Fourteen airports were rated ‘good’, with Bristol (BRS), Liverpool (LPL), and Norwich (NWI) all moving up from last year’s ‘needs improvement’ category. Birmingham (BHX), Inverness (INV), London City (LCY), and Manchester (MAN) maintained their good standing. City of Derry (LDY), Cornwall Newquay (NQY), Glasgow (GLA), Leeds Bradford (LBA), London Stansted (STN), London Southend (SEN), and Southampton (SOU) also received good ratings.

However, three airports did not meet the required standards. London Heathrow was noted for its generally strong performance at Terminals 2, 4, and 5, but failed to assure the regulator of the accuracy of its waiting time data at Terminal 3. As a result, the CAA could not confirm whether the waiting time standards were met.

Edinburgh Airport did not meet standards for timely assistance, largely due to operational challenges caused by a contractor change earlier in the year, which now appears resolved. Glasgow Prestwick failed to meet consultation standards with disabled groups, though it has now committed to forming an Access Forum to address the issue.

The regulator highlighted that demand for accessibility services is growing rapidly, with 5.5 million passengers requesting assistance at UK airports in 2024. This represents approximately 1.9 per cent of all travellers, up from 1.69 per cent in 2023, 1.35 per cent in 2019, and 0.94 per cent in 2010.

Selina Chadha, Group Director for Consumers and Markets at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:
“We want disabled passengers and those with limited mobility to be confident when travelling through UK airports. Our mission is to protect people and enable aerospace and we believe that entire industry should be behind the goal of making aviation accessible to all. 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.”

AirportsUK, which represents over 50 airports across the UK, welcomed the report as a valuable benchmark for the industry.

Christopher Snelling, Policy Director at AirportsUK, said:
“We welcome this report as a way of helping focus and drive performance from our sector on this important issue. We are pleased to note that 25 of the 28 UK airports assessed were good or very good, and that 82 per cent of disabled passengers reported being satisfied with their most recent flight, roughly similar to that of passengers as a whole, and a notable improvement on the year before. Where it identifies issues, this will help those airports address concerns.”

He added:
“The report also shows that use of accessibility services has grown again, up from 4.6 to 5.5 million users in just one year, now representing almost 2 per cent of travellers. Airports are continuing to have to adjust to these new, higher levels of demand, so the generally good performance at this time is all the more pleasing. However, services can always be better, and airports will continue working with CAA and accessibility groups over the next year and beyond to improve services even further.”

The CAA’s Airport Accessibility Framework, introduced in 2014, continues to guide the sector’s approach to supporting passengers with disabilities. The annual report serves to ensure accountability and ongoing progress.

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