CITY of Derry Airport has been ranked one of the top UK airports for providing service excellence for passengers with reduced mobility.
The ranking comes as part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) annual report published this week.
The report details the accessibility services offered by 30 UK airports, with City of Derry Airport listed as one of the top in the ‘Very Good’ category alongside Edinburgh and Liverpool.
The report highlights that there are more than three million requests for assistance at UK airports on an annual basis.
This is a substantial increase of almost 80% since 2010, underlining just how important it is for all UK airports to improve accessibility standards to meet this growing customer requirement.
Airport Manager, Charlene Shongo, stated that: “The findings from the UK CAA report demonstrates the dedication and commitment of all the team here at City of Derry Airport.
“It is very humbling to see that the measures we have put in place for the comfort and convenience of our passengers with reduced mobility are truly effective and deliver a consistent and high-quality service.
“It makes me incredibly proud of the team. The airport continues to strive to meet the needs of all our customers; working with our key stakeholders to ensure we offer all our passengers an excellent experience when travelling through their local airport”.
The CAA framework is first of its kind in the world and was introduced to drive improvements in performance and help deliver a consistent and high-quality service for passengers with reduced mobility across UK airports.
The organisation assesses airports against a number of measures to find how well they are performing including sourcing feedback from passengers who have required or been provided with assistance whilst travelling.
Charlene concluded by stating: “As well as the results from this CAA report, the Airport’s dedication to customer care is evident having recently received an Impact Award from Autism NI for training undertaken to fulfil the needs of passengers with the condition.
“We have excellent facilities at City of Derry Airport and I would encourage all travellers within the local area to consider flight options from their local airport when making future air travel arrangements”.
