In News

It has been announced that Heathrow Airport will invest over £30 million over the next few years in new equipment and technology to improve the accessibility services at the airport. Part of the investment includes the team at Heathrow working with a number of charities and organisations from across the UK.

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority rated Heathrow ‘good’ in their last airport accessibility report and the airport hopes to achieve ‘very good’ by the year 2022. This aim forms part of the initiative to improve services for disabled passengers through new technology and trialling new services.  

One of the trials, in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of the Blind, uses Navilens technology. The Navilens app has an algorithm which detects markers and provides audible information to users. This enables visually impaired passengers to navigate easily through the airport. The airport is also introducing the use of sunflower lanyards.

Heathrow has appointed disability campaigner, Helen Dolphin MBE and Keith Richards, equality and inclusion regulator to head their Access Advisory Group to ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of the airport’s agenda going forward. Speaking to reporters about the plans to make Heathrow more accessible, Helen Dolphin said: “This is a really exciting time to be working with Heathrow Airport as it embarks on another decade of investment for passengers of the airport. I’m passionate about ensuring disabled people have the same opportunities to fly as everyone else and ensuring Heathrow provides the best assistance service in the world.”

Related