Paralympian Hannah Babalola was told by KLM crew on a flight from Cape Town to Amsterdam that she could not use an onboard wheelchair to access the toilet. The captain cited turbulence concerns and wrongly claimed she had not booked special assistance. After calling police and security, who took no action, Babalola agreed not to use the toilet to get home. 'The humiliation was unbearable,' she said.
Babalola's experience is not isolated. A Guardian report prompted numerous similar accounts from wheelchair users. The UK Civil Aviation Authority outlines rights to accessible air travel, but these only apply to flights from UK airports or returns on UK/EU airlines.
Widespread problems reported
A July 2025 report by the National Centre for Accessible Transport, Invisible Barriers: How public attitudes affect inclusive travel, found disabled travellers often face negative treatment due to stereotypes. One wheelchair user quoted in the report was denied assistance because they could stand and walk in certain circumstances; a crew member said, 'Well you can stand, you can get off, you can go down the stairs.'
TV presenter and disability rights campaigner Sophie Morgan, co-founder of Rights on Flights, said, 'I honestly think that if the airlines could ban us from flying, they would.' She added, 'One plane captain told me I should wear a nappy on board.'
Research reveals systemic failures
Sarah Richardson, who has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, interviewed 36 disabled travellers for her MBA research. Half encountered problems 'almost always'; none reported no problems. Over 83% experienced stress and anxiety, and some restricted food and drink or wore nappies to avoid toilet struggles. Richardson found that as travel systems automate for efficiency, accessibility becomes a conditional service rather than a built-in feature.
Hasan Adeel, who has muscular dystrophy, said he is frequently mishandled during transfers. On a flight to Doha, staff left him for 20 minutes and transferred him incorrectly. 'I feel that for airlines, rules are ranked higher than humanity,' he said.
Damaged wheelchairs and denied boarding
Wheelchairs are often damaged in the hold. One man found his electric wheelchair badly damaged on an Emirates flight to London on 18 May, leaving him confined to his home. After the Guardian contacted Emirates, the airline apologised and arranged a temporary mobility device, assessing options to replace his wheelchair.
Samanta Bullock, Brazil's former No 1 wheelchair tennis player, was told by British Airways staff at JFK that she could not board a flight to the UK without a carer to help her use the toilet, requiring an expensive extra ticket. She eventually accepted a transfer to an American Airlines flight. A British Airways spokesperson said they had reached out to discuss her concerns.
Morgan said she will keep fighting. 'I fly with my rights in my pocket, but our rights continue to be violated. We need to rebrand this as a crisis.' Babalola has engaged a lawyer, saying, 'I need to take legal action, because otherwise this abuse of power against disabled people will continue.' KLM later apologised in a letter, saying they were 'making efforts to ensure that such a situation does not reoccur in the future.'
