Bristol Airport is in "need of improvement" according to UK Civil Aviation Authority

The report ranked every airport in the UK with an annual passenger volume of more than 150,000 based on their accommodation and treatment of passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities between April 2023 and March 2024.

The Civil Aviation Authority has consulted with passengers, the aviation industry, and disability charities, consultants, and consumer groups on how to best structure and implement its new accessibility framework.

London Gatwick, Cardiff Wales, Liverpool and Norwich were the other UK airports in need of improvement.

For the first time since 2020, no airport received a “poor” rating.

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Anna Bowles, Head of Consumer Policy and Enforcement at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Making aviation accessible to all is an important part of our work to protect the public and enable the aerospace sector.

“Progress is being made, and not rating any airports ‘poor’ this year is welcome, but there’s more work to do, especially by those airports we have rated ‘needs improvement’ in our report. We will continue to work with the sector to ensure that standards are maintained and improved.”

A spokesperson for Bristol Airport commented: “We accept that the service delivered by our contracted special assistant provider should have been better in 2023/4 and we are disappointed with the outcome of the report.

“We have since appointed a new business partner, who has invested in new equipment, including Ambi-lifts, minibuses and additional wheelchairs, as well as vehicle monitoring technology. This has resulted in a much-improved experience for customers requiring assistance. We have seen month-on-month improvements in performance and for July expect to exceed the targets for arriving customers.”