Airports give disabled passengers 'help they need'

Disabled passengers flying out from one of the UK's many airports look set to benefit from a new law which has been passed by the EU.

The rules now state that those with reduced mobility or in a wheelchair will have to be allowed to board a plane - apart from when it is physically impossible for them to enter the cabin.

Part of the European Union rule 1107/2006, the law will give freedom to thousands more travellers, some of whom were previously told they could not fly.

The law will incorporate the necessity for airports including Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted to give support and aid to all disabled people who need it as soon as they enter the building.

Speaking the day before the law was passed, Jacques Barrot, vice president of the European Commission in charge of transport, commented: "The phasing-in of these rules, starting tomorrow, will put an end to discrimination and give disabled and elderly passengers the help they need."

Legal action has, in the past, been taken against budget airline Ryanair when it refused to provide a free wheelchair for one of its disabled passengers.

Posted by Graham Greenaway on the 31/07/2007 15:42:12
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