Aviation Minister unveils assistance system

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere has launched a special assistance system at Birmingham Airport to help people with accessibility issues.

The introduction of the new £100,000 operational management system, known as Avtech, will enable customer care agents to provide better customer service as a result of having accurate real time operational information delivered through mobile devices.

It will see the introduction of 150 GPS beacons throughout the terminal, which capture accurate data of the whereabouts of the customer care agents and their passengers. This data is then sent to the duty management team to provide better dispatch information, seamless staff changes and routings to improve performance.

The system allows the agent to scan boarding passes and capture all the customer information they require for their flight. This helps passengers who feel anxious in social situations or a have hidden disability. 

The technology is continually capturing live data such as timings from distances in the terminal, staff performance and operational challenges. This will ensure that standards are continually enhanced and performance measurements are accurate.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere, said: “Disabled people should expect equal access to travel, and airports have an incredibly important role to play in supporting those requiring assistance. Airports can be complex and challenging environments, and this new system will help staff identify and support disabled people, including those with hidden disabilities, as they travel.”   

This investment forms part of a wider £1m, three-year commitment by the airport to improve the assisted travel service for customers, which has also seen the refurbishment of waiting areas for passengers requiring assistance, staff training to better support customers with hidden disabilities and aviramps which replace traditional aircraft stairs with a ramp to enhance inclusivity.

The airport is currently modernising the existing fleet of ‘ambulift’ vehicles that are used to help passengers with reduced mobility get on and off aircraft and is replacing nine existing help points with cutting edge solutions that will support a wider array of disabilities.

Jo Lloyd, business development director at Birmingham Airport said: “It was a pleasure to host the Aviation Minister’s visit and we thank her for officially launching the latest investment to improve our assisted travel offer. We recognise that we have to continually learn about the requirements of passengers with reduced mobility and by working with specialist organisations and partners on site we can ensure that our financial investments will give the greatest benefit to all of our customers.”

During the visit, Baroness Vere met with the airport’s senior management team to hear about the 15-year masterplan  which will see passenger numbers increase by 40%. The Minister also met with staff from the assisted travel provider, OCS, and visited the Air Traffic Control Tower to meet the airport’s in-house controllers.

Pictured: Ed Kibblewhite (Birmingham Airport’s accessibility manager), Lee White (OCS head of operations), Baroness Vere, Liam Lawlor (OCS customer service manager), Jenny Willets (OCS supervisor), Jo Lloyd (Birmingham Airport’s business development director)