Birmingham Airport told to improve treatment of disabled passengers

The Civil Aviation Authority revealed standards at four of the UK's seven busiest airports was unacceptable.

Birmingham was told that improvements were needed after officials claimed the airport failed to provide the regulator with sufficient information about the standard of services.

Airport bosses acknowledged issues over collecting data but said that it was investing £14m in improving customer services.

Manchester was the only airport to receive a "poor" accessibility rating, while London Gatwick and London Stansted were also told that they "need improvement" alongside Birmingham.

London Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, was one of 26 airports classified as "good" or "very good" this year. It was among four rated "poor" in last year's study.

Disability charities welcomed the improvements made in recent months but expressed concern that several of the largest airports were continuing to fail on accessibility.

CAA consumers and markets director Paul Smith said: "The improved performance of many airports means disabled passengers should have even more confidence to travel from UK airports.

"However, there are still too many occasions where things go wrong.

"Where we see examples of bad practice, we will not hesitate to hold airports to account and take the necessary enforcement action."

An spokesperson for Birmingham Airport, said: “We acknowledge that the reason for Birmingham Airport being in this category is partly due to the quality of data collected during the period of the report in 2017/18.

"We have already implemented changes to improve the collection and sharing of information with the service provider to enhance future reporting."

“We have invested heavily over the last six months to increase service provision, improve processes and create better PRM (People with Reduced Mobility) facilities for our customers.

"This is part of a £14m project to improve customer service and we are committed to making further changes over the next year to continue our commitment to improving the airport experience for passengers requiring assistance.”