Teesside Airport: 'We want to make air travel as accessible and straightforward as we can'

Flying can be an ordeal when you’re autistic – but Teesside Airport is doing all it can to make journeys more accessible for neurodivergent passengers.

The airport offers assisted travel to those who request it, including an escort if required, a quiet route to departures, and a special assistance lane through security.

It also recognises the Sunflower lanyard scheme and all its customer-facing staff are trained in hidden disabilities.

Last year 4,217 passengers used the assisted travel service – almost one in 50 of the 220,368 people who passed through the airport.

Their service was so good that Teesside got the highest ranking for accessibility from the regulators, the Civil Aviation Authority.

Tom Berwick, Passenger Operations Manager at the airport, says: “Customer experience is at the heart of our new lease of life as an airport, and assisted travel is a big part of that.

People should request assisted travel when they book their flight, through the airline or travel agent, although Teesside Airport can accommodate requests on the day.

“We encourage passengers to then come to the information desk on the day and have a conversation with our staff about what they need, as no two people are the same and we take an individual approach,” Tom adds.

Teesside’s website has a 3D scan of the airport building, so passengers can look round and familiarise themselves before their journey.

“The feedback we get from passengers is overwhelmingly positive,” Tom says. To speak to the airport about assisted travel, ring 01325 331055 or email enquiries@teessideinternational.com.