The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its annual Airport Accessibility Report for 2025/26, highlighting improvements in airport accessibility alongside record demand for assistance services.
The report has found that 19 airports achieved a ‘very good’ rating, whilst nine others received a ‘good’ rating.
Airports that received a ‘very good’ rating include Aberdeen, Belfast City, Belfast International, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall Newquay, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Liverpool, London City, London Luton, London Gatwick, London Southend, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton and Teesside; whilst Birmingham, City of Derry, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, London Heathrow, London Stansted and Norwich all received a ‘good’ rating.
Initially introduced in 2014; the framework’s first official report found that thirteen airports were rated either ‘poor’ or ‘needs improvement’, with the last decade having seen airports invest millions into the improvement of accessibility services, facilities and staff training.
This latest report shows that demand for airport assistance services has grown rapidly and, since 2015, requests for assistance have increased by 115.8%, compared with overall passenger growth of 23.9%.
Whilst the report aims to highlight progress made by airports, it also seeks to show that disabled passengers continue to face challenges when travelling. The Civil Aviation Authority’s latest Aviation Consumer Survey found that overall passenger satisfaction with air travel reached 88%, the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2016. However, satisfaction among passengers with accessibility or disability needs was lower, at 82%
Elsewhere, the survey found that 58% of disabled customers reported difficulties accessing or using airports and flying, with the most common needs relating to walking, standing or carrying luggage.
Anna Bowles, Head of Consumer Protection at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said:The progress made in improving airport accessibility over the last decade is encouraging. Through our annual assessments, we have challenged airports to raise standards, increase transparency and focus on the needs of disabled passengers.
The fact that no airport was rated 'Needs Improvement' or 'Poor' this year is welcome, but we cannot be complacent. Some disabled passengers still face difficulties when travelling, and with demand for assistance services continuing to rise, airports must continue to invest in assistance services. We will consult on a revised version of the Framework later this year as we continue to challenge airports to improve further.
The Civil Aviation Bill currently before Parliament would, if approved, give us additional enforcement powers to better hold airports to account for meeting the legal rights of passengers, including in relation to accessibility. This would in time help even further improve performance against our accessibility framework.
The report itself assesses all 28 UK airports capable of handling more than 150,000 passengers during the 2025 calendar against a standard framework, and covers performance between April 2025 and March 2026.
During this time, the CAA has undertaken visits to 16 of the largest UK airports, observing in the process the service provided to passengers requiring assistance at airports for around 1,400 flights. The Authority has also conducted deep dive accessibility assessments of five airports – Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow Prestwick, and Liverpool.
The standardised framework utilised allows the regulator to give an overall assessment of how the needs of those with disabilities and reduced mobility are being met by airports’ accessibility services, and assesses airports against three areas:
- Performance against waiting time targets for arriving and departing passengers including accuracy and robustness of data collection
- A Satisfaction Survey of users of the assistance service
- Consultation with disabled individuals and organisations through Accessibility Forums
