TWO Scottish airports have been named among the worst in the UK for providing assistance to disabled passengers, a regulator has found.
A new assessment conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) found that Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick Airports "need improvement" in how they assist passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility.
The only other UK airport which the regulator said needs improvement is Heathrow, while 14 airports were rated "good", including Glasgow, and 11 as "very good", including Aberdeen.
There were no airports rated "poor" by the regulator.
The CAA said Edinburgh, Prestwick and Heathrow have "clearly more to do" in their provision of additional support.
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.”
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”.
Meanwhile, 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 5.5m 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.”
