UK airports ranked: The surprising winners (and losers) for accessibility
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has released its latest annual Airport Accessibility Report, revealing that most UK airports are delivering a good standard of assistance for disabled and less mobile passengers, despite rising demand for such services.
However, three airports – including London Heathrow – have been flagged as needing improvement.
The report assesses 28 UK airports with over 150,000 annual passengers, evaluating performance between April 2024 and March 2025.
It uses a standard framework based on service timeliness, passenger satisfaction, and engagement with disabled communities.
Last year, 5.5 million passengers requested special assistance at UK airports, equating to 1.9% of all travellers. This is a sharp increase from just 0.94% in 2010.
The figure has continued to grow year-on-year, reflecting the growing importance of reliable and accessible airport services.
Airports ranked by accessibility
Eleven airports achieved the highest ‘Very Good’ rating, including Belfast City, East Midlands, Newcastle and Teesside. All of these retained their top status.
Cardiff and London Gatwick were among those showing the most improvement, climbing from last year’s lowest category.
Fourteen airports were rated ‘Good’, with Bristol, Liverpool and Norwich all moving up from last year’s ‘Needs Improvement’ category. However, three airports failed to meet the CAA’s expectations.
London Heathrow was singled out for issues with data transparency, particularly concerning waiting times at Terminal 3.
Edinburgh Airport struggled with delays after switching assistance service providers.
Glasgow Prestwick failed to meet engagement standards with disabled passengers, though it has pledged to improve.
‘There is clearly more to do’
Commenting on the report, Selina Chadha, the CAA’s Group Director for Consumers and Markets, 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 the 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.”
The CAA introduced the Airport Accessibility Framework in 2014 to establish consistent service standards and improve industry accountability.
The regulator continues to publish annual assessments to track progress and maintain pressure on the sector to improve accessibility across the board.
