Accessibility improvements

Newquay Purple Angels have been working with Cornwall Airport Accessibility forum and in 2021 provided us with six MP3 players to further develop an inclusive environment for passengers travelling.

The MP3 players will be available to passengers who have dementia to reduce the unfamiliar noises of a busy environment, and to ensure they feel at ease whilst travelling through the Airport.

For more information on these meetings, please email Kelly Jones on kelly.jones@cornwallairportnewquay.com

At Cornwall Airport Newquay, we have our very own forum for accessibility when travelling. This is made up of a group of volunteers with different assistance needs who have recently travelled by air, or would like to in the future.  Our first meeting was a great success and everyone went away feeling very enthusiastic and excited about the differences this forum can make in ensuring air travel is more inclusive. 

The forum will meet on a quarterly basis and we will publish the minutes from these meetings on our Passengers with Reduced Mobility web page. The first meeting included an airport tour, from this we have put together an action plan noting the areas of the terminal and surrounding site that need review and when this will take place. 

We have held a number of familiarisation tours for members of the disability community who have always wanted to visit new places but have not considered travelling by air to our tours. Cornwall Airport Newquay wishes to show you this is an inclusive environment and there are no barriers to flying. These can include private requests for families and small groups to have a tour of the airport and to alleviate any fears they may have about travelling.

Previous examples include: 

• Hosting a family and a small group of young adults who have autism, and a young adult with anxiety who were due to be travelling later in the year.
• Holding a familiarisation day for anyone who requires assistance and wanted a tour of the Airport terminal. This was a great opportunity to experience a live airport environment and have access to an aircraft.

Josh Wintersgill is the chairman of our Accessibility meetings. 'Cornwall is a wonderful county, with so much for everyone to explore. To open up more opportunities for people to travel to and from Cornwall, the airport plays a critical role and I am delighted to lead Cornwall Newquay Airport Accessibility Advisory Group. I will ensure the group has broad representation of disability, so it can provide independent strategic accountability on accessibility in the short, medium and long term. The airport staff are doing a brilliant job to date, but there is much more to do.'