The UK Civil Aviation Authority believes that everyone should have access to air travel, and that there should be no barriers to travel for disabled passengers.

As part of this work, they are seeking evidence to assist our understanding of the issues faced by assistance dog users when travelling by air. They are also requesting evidence from airlines and airports, which are required by law to facilitate the carriage of recognised assistance dogs.

They also want to hear views about the definition of, and how to officially recognise, assistance dogs. There is no current definition of an assistance dog within regulations. In the Civil Aviation Authority’s view, an assistance dog is defined by its role, which is to assist a disabled person so that they can carry out everyday activities. This call to evidence is looking to specify what is meant by an assistance dog, and which assistance dogs should be allowed on aircraft.

As the national enforcement body for regulations concerning the rights of airline passengers with reduced mobility, the Civil Aviation Authority are calling for evidence to consider the key opportunities and risks in developing a new definition for a recognised assistance dog. This includes the potential to widen the pool of authorised training organisations for assistance dogs for air travel. Responses to this call for evidence will directly influence future regulations.

This call for evidence is open until 10 January 2020 and is available at: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/corporate-communications/assistance-dogs-call-for-evidence

AccessAble work with 8 of the UK’s major airports, to produce Detailed Access Guides which are 100% facts, figures and photographs. The Guides cover everything from parking and walking distances to restaurants, quiet spaces, accessible toilets and hearing loops.

We know everyone’s accessibility needs are different, which is why having detailed, accurate information is so important.  It’s why we send our trained surveyors to check out every single place in person and why the information we collect has all been decided by our user community.

Check out the facts, and explore the details, before you leave home or on the move using our App and Website – www.AccessAble.co.uk