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Liz LynneLiberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands 1999-2012 |
Disabled air passengers to benefit from Europe-wide rights
December 15, 2005 4:21 PM
MEPs today voted on laws concerning the rights of disabled persons and
persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air. The measures
approved will lead to increased harmonisation across Europe to ensure that
passengers are not discriminated against on the grounds of their
disability or lack of mobility.
Liz Lynne, Vice Chair of the All Party Disability Intergroup in the
European Parliament and Lib Dem MEP for the West Midlands said:
"This legislation is a very welcome first stage in securing the rights of
disabled people and persons with reduced mobility and will make a
significant change in the lives of the approximately 50 million disabled
people in the European Union.
"In September we also voted in the European Parliament to extend the
rights of disabled and reduced mobility passengers in rail travel. These
are long overdue developments in transport regulation and I look forward
to seeing more."
Liz, who is also Member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and President
of the Liberal Democrat Disability Association, added:
"Disabled people and persons with reduced mobility should have the same
right as all other citizens to free movement, freedom of choice and to
non-discrimination. This applies to air travel as to other areas of life.
"I still have some slight concerns that without European wide health and
safety standards some disabled people could still be refused boarding but
having said that, this is very welcome legislation."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The subject was brought to the headlines in October when a group of
disabled passengers were ejected from a Ryanair flight as their number
exceeded the airline's quota for disabled passengers under company safety
regulation. The group however, claimed that they had called the airline
eight months in advance in order to ensure there would not be a problem.
The new legislation will ensure that Disabled persons and persons with
reduced mobility will be accepted for carriage and not refused transport
on the grounds of their disability or lack of mobility, except for
justified safety reasons prescribed by law. Before accepting bookings from
disabled persons or persons with reduced mobility, air carriers, their
agents and tour operators should make all reasonable efforts to verify
whether there is a justified safety reason which would prevent such
persons being accommodated on the flights concerned.
In addition, the legislation also prescribes that sufficient assistance
should be given at airports to enable disabled persons and persons with
reduced mobility to proceed from a designated point of arrival at an
airport to an aircraft and from the aircraft to a designated point of
departure from the airport, and that it should be organised so as to avoid
interruption and delay, while ensuring high and equivalent standards
throughout the Community and making best use of resources.
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