As part of the celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Avianca has announced a number of significant improvements to its accessibility features in airports to enable passengers to make safe and comfortable travelling choices independently.
Supporting 982,000+ assistance requests
Last year Avianca reported supporting over 982,000 requests for accessibility services or assistance. Of these, approximately 83% were requests for assistance due to a physical or sensory impairment. The remaining requests included those relating to visual/hearing impairments, learning difficulties such as autism and ADHD, and service animals.
Michael Swiatek, chief accessibility officer, said:
“At Avianca, we view accessibility as a cross-functional commitment and an ongoing journey of improvement. That is why we continue strengthening our internal capabilities by building awareness, training our teams, refining processes, and advancing technology and infrastructure solutions. The goal is to help more people travel with greater autonomy, confidence and dignity.”
Training and initiatives expanded
Throughout 2025, Avianca developed and delivered 22 new accessibility projects. These projects have been structured around five areas of focus: raising awareness among staff, developing internal training opportunities, reviewing existing processes to enhance accessibility and evaluating new technologies and infrastructural developments to further increase accessibility.
Some of the accessibility initiatives the airline has delivered include educating over 3200 ground handlers at airports through participation in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme. As well as this, over 4200 Avianca employees engaged with remote training programmes focusing on learning about neurological diversity and intellectual disability.
Avianca has also collaborated with the Open Doors Organisation to deliver training programmes on respectful treatment of wheelchairs and assistive equipment.
External committee driving change
36% of accessibility projects delivered during 2025 came from recommendations by the airline’s External Accessibility Committee. The External Accessibility Committee comprises individuals with disabilities, disability advocates and Avianca representatives and has been established for four years.
The airline described accessibility as an “ongoing, dynamic process” and said it plans to continue integrating these practices into future operations.
What are your experiences with accessibility when travelling? Let us know in the comments below
