DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR MAKING AIR TRAVEL EASIER FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Oct. 29, 2021

In an attempt to make air travel easier for people with disabilities, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued a list of “draft accessibility standards and guidelines”.

About:

  • These guidelines lay down some dos and don’ts for airlines and airport operators to follow to minimise the hurdles faced by disabled people while they are travelling.

  • These draft guidelines come nearly a week after actor and dancer Sudha Chandran took to social media to share the ordeal she faced at the airport, where she was asked to remove her prosthetic limb every time she passed through security check.

  • As per the draft guidelines, airport operators must now make arrangements to ensure that people with special needs are screened in a way that keeps the “dignity and privacy of the passenger in mind”.

  • During the screening of prosthetics, airport security may use X-ray, explosive trace detection devices or visual checks according to their requirement.