Manchester Airport has been awarded the highest possible rating in the Civil Aviation Authority’s latest accessibility report. It achieved a ‘very good’ rating for its services to passengers with restricted mobility and hidden disabilities, an improvement on its ‘good’ rating for 2025.
Recognition for improved services
ABM, which operates the airport’s special assistance services, has been recognised for improvements made over the past 12 months, with the report citing strong performance on waiting times. The report also highlights the airport’s engagement with its Accessibility Forum – an independently-chaired advisory group comprised of disabled travellers and advocates – along with the quality of facilities in Terminal 2, which is nearing the end of its decade-long transformation.
ABM has a strong record of helping people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) into its service teams, working with Trafford and Stockport College group through its Airport Academy and Pure Innovations’ supported internships programme to extend job opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Investment in facilities
The ‘very good’ rating also reflects significant investment, with £1.5bn spent on transforming Terminal 2 over the past decade, and millions now being spent on upgrading Terminal 3 to improve passenger flow and navigation.
Ed Kibblewhite, Head of Terminal Services at Manchester Airport, said: “At Manchester Airport we’re proud to serve the people of the North, helping more than 32 million passengers on their travel in the past 12 months – including 700,000 with restricted mobility or other assistance needs.”
Industry-wide results
Across the UK, 28 airports that handled more than 150,000 passengers were assessed, and 19 achieved a ‘very good’ rating, including Manchester. Nine others received a ‘good’ rating, and no airports were rated ‘needs improvement’ or ‘poor’.
The results reflect the impact of more than a decade of oversight through the regulator’s Airport Accessibility Performance Framework, introduced in 2014. Thirteen airports were rated either 'Poor' or 'Needs Improvement' when the Framework was introduced; in the last decade, airports have invested millions in accessibility services, facilities and staff training.
Growing demand and challenges
The latest report shows demand for airport assistance services continues to grow rapidly. Since 2015, requests for assistance have increased by 115.8 percent, compared with overall passenger growth of 23.9 percent. While progress has been made, disabled passengers still face challenges when travelling.
The Civil Aviation Authority's latest Aviation Consumer Survey found overall passenger satisfaction reached 88 percent – the highest since 2016 – but satisfaction among passengers with accessibility needs was lower at 82 percent. Additionally, 58 percent of disabled consumers reported difficulties accessing or using airports and flying, with the most common needs relating to walking, standing or carrying luggage.
Anna Bowles, Head of Consumer Protection at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The progress made in improving airport accessibility over the last decade is encouraging. Through our annual assessments, we have challenged airports to raise standards, increase transparency and focus on the needs of disabled passengers.”
