Co-designing the Aviation Disability Standards
The Australian Government wants to make sure air travel is accessible for people with disability.
We have heard about the barriers people with disability have when travelling by air through:
- the Australian Government's Aviation White Paper
- the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission).
In August 2024, the Government released the Aviation White Paper with a commitment to making sure the aviation sector protects the rights of people with disability. This includes creating new aviation-specific disability standards (Aviation Disability Standards). These standards would be a schedule to the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (the Transport Standards). The Transport Standards come under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Creating new Aviation Disability Standards builds on reforms to the Transport Standards. These reforms will introduce new requirements in areas like:
- staff training
- wayfinding
- giving people accessible information.
You can read more about the reforms at Reform of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards)
Developing the Aviation Disability Standards
We are developing the new Aviation Disability Standards using a co-design process with people with disability. We'll also consult with industry before we do broader public consultation on options for new requirements in air travel.
The co-design process has already started through work with disability representative and advocacy organisations. It will continue through 2025.
A co-design steering committee is overseeing the process to develop the Aviation Disability Standards.
There will be 3 co-design workshops with people with disability in mid-2025.
Our process will help us co-design options for the new standards.
Then, as part of the process to develop the new Aviation Disability Standards, we will:
- Consult with airlines, airports, and industry peak bodies.
- Invite formal public input on the proposed standards through an Impact Analysis process in the second half of 2025.
What will be covered by the new Aviation Disability Standards?
As outlined in the Aviation White Paper, the new Aviation Disability Standards will set out responsibilities for airlines and airports. This will make sure they coordinate their services to facilitate the journey of passengers with disability.
Through the co-design process we will also:
- Consider requiring airlines to offer passenger assistance profiles. This will let passengers who need assistance to easily let the airlines know, ahead of time.
- Consider options to ban airline policies that limit the number of passengers on a flight who need assistance.
- Produce a set of user guides. These will explain:
- the legal rights of passengers
- the obligations of airlines and airports under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the new Aviation Disability Standards.
The Government will publicly report how airlines and airports are meeting the new standards once they are in place.
How do I get more information?
We'll provide regular progress updates on the co-design process on this page, including information on workshop outcomes.
For more information, please get in touch with the Aviation Accessibility team: AviationAccessibility@infrastructure.gov.au.
For more information on the Aviation White Paper accessibility initiatives, visit Aviation White Paper—Towards 2050.