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Melbourne Airport is trialling a new “mobility hub” service to improve accessibility.
The four-month Airport Assist pilot program will see several hubs open across the airport to help disabled passengers navigate areas such as car parks, check-in, baggage halls, and pick-up and drop-off zones. It comes after the Aviation White Paper last month flagged a focus on disability access.
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The hubs, open from 10am to 6pm, will offer services including accessible information, buggy transfers between the T4 ground transport hub and departure areas, wheelchair transfers, sensory packs, communication boards for non-verbal travellers, and lanyards and information for the Hidden Disability Sunflower Program.
According to Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus, the airport is using research on barriers to disability access to improve its service offering.
“One in 10 travellers are now telling us that they need some form of extra help at Melbourne Airport, and with an ageing population, the number of passengers needing mobility assistance is only going to increase,” she said.
“We’ve spent the past 18 months working to understand where we need to improve accessibility and our research has taken into consideration people with both visible and non-visible disability, as well as those who don’t identify with having disability but may require additional assistance. We hope this trial will help address the problems some of our passengers encounter getting where they need to go.
“We are committed to creating a more inclusive travel experience, and the Airport Assist pilot is a significant step toward ensuring all travellers can navigate the airport with ease and confidence. This service will be offered to passengers free of charge and we welcome feedback on opportunities for improvement.”
In last month’s Aviation White Paper, the federal government laid out plans to improve disability access at airports, including new aviation-specific disability standards.
Announcing the paper, Transport Minister Catherine King said passengers with disabilities have had to endure “poor service, inaccessible designs and rules that limit their travel options”.
“Through our consultation, we heard clearly that the treatment of people with disability by the airlines and airports is not good enough,” she said.
“People have been left stranded on planes, forced to return to their departure port or had to put up with poor treatment due to a lack of access to appropriate facilities at their destination.
“The Albanese government is strengthening the rights of people with disability while travelling, as well as enforcing stricter compliance with existing obligations.”
