Regulator says Leeds Bradford Airport must improve its accessibility

Too many passengers with mobility problems have been “unduly delayed” using Leeds Bradford Airport, according to a report published by aviation regulator the UK Civil Aviation Authority. (CAA)

The Interim Airport Accessibility Report covers a seven-month period between 1 April and 31 October 2022 and assesses 16 of the largest UK airports.

Earlier this year, the regulator wrote to airports informing them that the experience passengers received was “unacceptable” and told those who were underperforming that it expected them to do more to improve the quality of assistance throughout the rest of the summer.

The CAA’s interim report concludes: “Leeds Bradford has not met the standard for a good rating and too many disabled and less mobile arriving passengers have been unduly delayed.

“However, we noted that delays were generally not as long as at some other airports and there were no very long delays.

“In addition, as with some other airports, Leeds Bradford has seen a large increase the proportion of the number of disabled and less mobile passengers it assisted compared to 2019 which has added pressure to their assistance service.”

An LBA spokesman responded: “We accept the report from the CAA and apologise for falling short during this challenging period.

“We feel confident our programme of live investments will improve services for passengers with restricted mobility.

“Our reconfiguration of Hall A, investment in infrastructure and extensive training of new staff will see immediate positive changes at LBA in the coming weeks and months.

“Prior to this report, LBA has been rated “good” by the CAA for five years and we are committed to regaining this status as quickly as possible by implementing tangible solutions around the terminal.”

The CAA’s interim report will be followed up by a full year performance report which will include all airports handling over 150,000 passengers per year, to be published in summer 2023.