Edmonton International Airport (EIA) has teamed up with Aira to provide live, real-time assistance to passengers with visual impairments through an online service.
EIA is now part of the Aira Airport Network, as passengers can use the Aira online app free of charge within the facility. Upon arrival at EIA, visually impaired passengers can use the app to call a live agent, who will navigate them through the airport using the users’ smartphone camera and location tracker. To ensure this service is efficient, EIA has provided Aira with detailed information and maps of the terminal.
Steve Maybee, Vice President, Operations and Infrastructure, Edmonton International Airport, said:Air travel is a necessity not a luxury in our community and using technology to support travel for everyone is something we’re committed to. With Aira, from curb to gate, our travellers who have visual impairments can now have a memorable airport experience, confidently and independently. We’re glad to partner with Aira and have this service available.
Throughout the travel experience, the Aira agent can also assist with reading passenger information and helping with social distancing from other people.
Troy Otillio, CEO of Aira, said:We are honoured to work with EIA to help connect more people to our service—but more importantly to help make travel more accessible and inclusive to the broadest population. Our goal is to help more people live, work, learn, and enjoy their lives more fully by giving them access to the visual information they need and deserve.
This new online service for visually impaired travellers adds to EIA’s existing initiatives to support accessibility at the airport, including the Autism Aviators programme, mobility assistance, on-demand curbside assistance, and a pet relief station for service animals. EIA is also working on a visual paging system for passengers with hearing difficulties.
