Heathrow “needs improvement” in how it assists passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, a regulator has found.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which conducted the assessment, also gave the same rating to Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick airports.
It said the three airports have “clearly more to do” in their provision of additional support.
Fourteen UK airports were rated as “good” and 11 as “very good”.
None were rated “poor”.
CAA group director for consumers and markets Selina Chadha said disabled passengers and those with limited mobility should be able to be “confident when travelling through UK airports”.
She continued: “Our mission is to protect people and enable aerospace, and we believe the entire industry should be behind the goal of making aviation accessible to all.
“It is welcome that most airports scored positively, but there is clearly more to do from those found to be needing improvement.
“With demand for these services rising dramatically in recent years, all airports have a huge challenge ahead to ensure they continue to offer the assistance services their passengers deserve.”
Today, we've published our annual Airport Accessibility Report.
— UK Civil Aviation Authority (@UK_CAA) June 25, 2025
It ranks the performance of UK airports on the assistance services they provide to disabled, and less mobile passengers.
The majority of airports have been rated positively, but three airports need improvement 👇
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, was found to have “discrepancies” between its data on waiting times to provide assistance at Terminal 3, and what was observed happening, the CAA’s report stated.
The regulator added: “Given these concerns, we cannot be assured that the waiting time standards were met at Terminal 3, and we do not consider that Heathrow is meeting the requirement for an airport to have robust processes in place for overseeing how it measures its performance.”
The report is based on the year to the end of March.
Heathrow’s chief operating officer Javier Echave said the airport made “significant strides in enhancing our assistance service” since the previous 12-month period.
He went on: “I want to reassure passengers that Heathrow has a strong plan in place.
“We are investing in new equipment, introducing designated security lanes, and expanding support to help passengers with assistance needs travel more independently.
“This ‘needs improvement’ rating provided by the CAA focuses on the administration of data recording in Terminal 3, based on audits which it conducted in late 2024, which we had addressed by the end of the reporting period.
“Apart from this specific matter, Heathrow has delivered demonstrable progress across all key service metrics.”
Earlier this month, BBC journalist and wheelchair user Frank Gardner was forced to wait 95 minutes for a medical lift so he could leave an aircraft that had arrived at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
The airport apologised and said the delay was caused by its assistance provider responding to a medical emergency, which reduced the number of vehicles available.
The CAA said Edinburgh airport did not meet minimum standards for providing assistance in a “timely manner”, primarily because a change of contractor caused issues which “now appear to be resolved”.
A spokesman for the airport said it has invested more than £6 million in supporting passengers with reduced mobility, and has implemented “new and improved processes and oversight” which have “led to significant improvements”.
Glasgow Prestwick failed to meet its obligation to consult with disabled groups and individuals, but has “committed to putting in place an access forum”, the CAA said.
An airport spokesperson said it was “actively working” to address the issue, and insisted it “remains fully committed to providing a high standard of service”.
The CAA said the number of passengers who requested assistance at UK airports increased from 4.6 million in 2023 to 5.5 million last year, representing 1.9% of all passengers.
Christopher Snelling, policy director at industry body AirportsUK, said: “Airports are continuing to have to adjust to these new higher levels of demand, so the generally good performance at this time is all the more pleasing.
“However, services can always be better, and airports will continue working with the CAA and accessibility groups over the next year and beyond to improve services even further.”
