Disability advocates task FAAN on accessible air travel

Disability advocates have urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to address persistent barriers facing passengers with disabilities, saying inaccessible airport services continue to deny many Nigerians safe and dignified air travel in spite of existing legal protections.

This is contained in a statement made available by Project Elevate Team Lead, Comrade Abiodun Ozurumba.

According to the statement, the call came during a meeting between Project Elevate: The National Aviation Accessibility Initiative and FAAN officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

She said the initiative was assessing accessibility across Nigeria’s aviation sector to identify gaps and develop practical recommendations.

Ozurumba said the assessment was guided by Nigeria’s Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations on consumer protection.

“The aim is to develop practical recommendations that support compliance with existing regulations and enhance the travel experience of passengers with disabilities across Nigerian airports,” she said.

The team recounted experiences ranging from inadequate boarding procedures to the absence of sign language interpreters, visual emergency alerts and effective passenger feedback channels.

Among those who addressed the meeting was accessibility expert Dr Adebukola Adebayo, who criticised existing boarding procedures for passengers with disabilities.

Recalling an incident on April 12, 2026, he said an airline left him beside an aircraft under the sun for almost 20 minutes.

“PWDs should not be taken to the tarmac to board if the aircraft is not ready. Protocols for boarding PWDs is still poor.

“Maybe what we need is a disability certificate for all PWDs. What each cluster needs is different from the other and airlines must know this,” he said.

Founder of Deaf Women Association of Nigeria, Deaconess Adedoyin Beyioku-Alase, popularly known as Mama Deaf, called for at least two sign language interpreters at every airport, adding that deaf travellers remained among the most affected by communication barriers.

Beyioku-Alase, who is also a former Chairperson of Joint National Association of Persons with Disability said, “the seeds we are planting today are not for us but for our children; only those with empathy can embark on this kind of exercise.”

Responding, FAAN Technical Adviser, Usman AbdulSalam, said the authority’s role was limited in some areas because airlines and ground handling companies operated independently within airport facilities.

“FAAN just provides the space. They pay FAAN rent,” he said.

He assured the team that airlines and other stakeholders including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, ground handlers and disability groups, would be invited in subsequent engagements to strengthen coordinated efforts to improve accessibility at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and other airports across the country.

The delegation was taken on a tour of passenger assistance facilities, including designated exits used to support passengers with disabilities.

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