A new study from Breda University of Applied Sciences reveals a troubling gap between disability rights protections and their real-world implementation in European air travel. Despite comprehensive regulations now in their second year, passengers with physical and mental disabilities continue navigating a system riddled with barriers that erode dignity and access at nearly every stage of the journey.
The research, published in Research in Transportation Business & Management, examined the complete passenger experience for travelers with disabilities ranging from mobility impairments to autism and anxiety disorders. Across 90 million Europeans living with disabilities—nearly one in four adults in the EU—air travel remains unnecessarily stressful and often degrading.
The study's most significant finding challenges a common misconception about accessibility barriers. While physical infrastructure deficits persist—inaccessible boarding procedures, inadequate ground equipment and poorly designed terminals—the real problem often lies elsewhere.
Researchers identified what they call the "cumulative effect of barriers," a phenomenon where individually manageable obstacles compound into a harrowing gauntlet. A missing accommodation note during online booking, staff who fail to proactively discuss disability needs at check-in and a damaged wheelchair retrieved from cargo—none of these incidents alone constitutes a crisis. Together, they create a pattern that exhausts passengers, shatters confidence in the system and transforms what should be a routine service into a test of resilience.
"Regulations and standards exist in abundance," said Simone Moretti, lead researcher on the Tourism Impact on Society team at BUas. "But dignified, consistent service demands more than regulatory compliance. It requires genuine understanding of what these passengers actually experience."
The research underscores why isolated improvements fail. Installing wheelchair ramps without training ground crews in how to assist passengers safely creates false accessibility. Developing digital booking systems that nominally accommodate disability requests without ensuring staff follow through leaves the promise unfulfilled.
Breda University, working through INCLAVI—an EU Erasmus+-funded collaborative project involving European universities—is advancing a framework centered on two principles: the elimination of cumulative barriers and what researchers term "standardized flexibility." Safety and security protocols should remain uniform across all airports, but the application of accommodations can and should adapt to individual needs without compromise.
The INCLAVI project is translating research into practice by developing training curricula for aviation professionals. A free, evidence-based training course is now available to frontline and management staff, addressing not just technical accessibility but the interpersonal competence required to support disabled passengers throughout their journey.
The researchers stress one critical point: disabled passengers must be active partners in designing the systems that serve them. When airports and airlines launch new services or renovate terminals, consultation with disabled travelers should be standard, not exceptional.
As European air travel heads into its busiest season and faces growth projections for the coming decade, the window for systemic reform is open but finite. The research demonstrates that better air travel access for disabled passengers is achievable. It requires treating accessibility as a systems problem rather than a compliance checkbox, investing in human capacity as well as infrastructure, and committing to the ongoing feedback and adjustment that comes with real partnership with disabled communities.
