Special Assistance

Special Assistance at Belfast City Airport, ranked one of the highest in the UK by the CAA, is available to passengers with impairments, disabilities, hidden disabilities & reduced mobility.

If you have availed of Special Assistance at Belfast City Airport and would like to provide us with feedback, please take our short survey. We would love to hear about your experience using our assisted travel service so that we can identify what we are doing well and anything we need to do better. The survey will only take a couple of minutes and all responses are anonymous. Take the survey here.

• How to book Special Assistance at Belfast City Airport
  Passengers requiring assistance should notify their airline, travel agent or tour operator at least 48 hours in advance. This information is then transmitted to the airport.
  
  Our PRM team is operational from 0500-2200 each day.
  
  On the day of travel, please present yourself at the airline check-in desk within the stated guidelines (most airlines require you to check-in a minimum of 2 hours before departure).
   
  You will then be referred to the Special Assistance desk if you require further assistance through security. During peak periods, priority will be given to those passengers who have pre-notified the airline of their requirements, or pre-booked Special Assistance with the airport directly.
• Assistance provided at the airport
  Assistance call points are located in the drop off area in the short stay car park, at the assistance desk in the terminal and in the designated assistance area in departures.
  
  Assistance is available from the drop off area through to boarding the aircraft, and also from arrival to pick up. This includes help with checking in, getting through security, and boarding the aircraft.
  
  Assistance provided for arriving passengers includes help with collecting baggage and going through passport control (if arriving from an international flight).
• Getting to the airport (including car parking for Blue Badge Holders)

  Arriving by car:
  
  If being dropped off by car, then this should be done at the drop off area in the short stay car park. An assistance call point is located to the right in this area.
  
  Parking:
  
  Designated parking bays for Blue Badge holders, or travelling companions of Blue Badge holders, are located in our Short Stay Car Park.

  • Extra-wide parking bays available
  • Assistance phone available with a direct link to a dedicated team
  • Blue Badge or photocopy of Blue Badge must be kept in view

  Pre-booked Blue Badge holders should stop at the desk to show the reservation email and their Blue Badge. The ticket they received on entry will then be validated. Non-booked customers can press the intercom at any pay station and a member of the car park team will check their Blue Badge then charge the long stay rate.
   
  If no one is available at the desk for pre-booked Blue Badge holders, they can also press the intercom and speak to a member of the car park team who will be able to arrange for them to exit accordingly if everything is valid.
  
  Arriving by bus: 
   
  There is a bus service to/from the Europa Bus Station in Belfast. The bus stop is directly in front of the terminal building meaning unrestricted access for passengers requiring Special Assistance. The Special Assistance desk is then located to the left on entry to the main concourse.
  
  Arriving by train:
   
  There is a train stop at Sydenham with a footbridge across the dual carriageway. There is then an entrance gate to the airport grounds. Once through the gate, there is a shelter containing a telephone link to request our courtesy vehicle which will take you to the terminal building.
   
  *Please note – the footbridge between Sydenham Rail Halt and Belfast City Airport means that wheelchair access is not available when travelling to the airport by train.
   
  Read more on Translink's accessibility access. 

• Layout of the airport building

  To allow you to plan and visualise your journey through our terminal building ahead of your journey, please refer to the distances between key areas below:

  • Departing passenger drop-off area to Special Assistance desk = 200 metres 220 yards
  • Passenger drop-off area to check-in desks = 230 metres 252 yards
  • Check-in desks to search area = 120 metres 132 yards
  • Security search area to departures lounge = 80 metres 88 yards
  • Departures Lounge to furthest departure gate = 270 metres 295 yards
  • Arriving passengers furthest departure gate to arrivals hall(s) = 340 metres 372 yards
  • Arrivals hall(s) to passenger pick-up area = 200 metres 220 yards
• Performance standards
  Download our Quality Standards Charter here.
  
  Links to statistics on performance can be found below:
  
  October 2021 - March 2022 (Departing)
  October 2021 - March 2022 (Arriving)
  April 2022 - September 2022 (Departing)
  April 2022 - September 2022 (Arriving)
• Special Assistance through airport security
  Where medication in liquid form is required to be carried in hand luggage, passengers will need to have a letter from their doctor and their name needs to prescribed on the liquid medicine container.
  
  Passengers who are disabled or with reduced mobility are required to be security searched in accordance with direction from the Department for Transport (DfT).  If unable to walk or go through the metal detector, passengers will then have a hand search of their person to sufficient depth to ensure prohibited articles are not being carried.
   
  Security staff are aware, and special trained, to manage varying disabilities and will conduct any searches as efficiently and sensitively as possible. Any wheelchairs and or electric mobility aids are subject to a visual search, hand search and an e-trace detection test to ensure that prohibited articles are not being carried.
  
  Where it is deemed necessary or on request from the customer, a private search room can be used. These are located at the rear of the central security search area.
• Mobility equipment
  Passengers who are using their own mobility equipment such as manual wheelchairs, scooters, or electric wheelchairs, can use them until boarding the aircraft. Similarly, on arrival, we will return wheelchairs at the aircraft. Information on make, weight and type of electric wheelchair needs to be advised to the airline at the time of booking.
  
  In the unlikely event that, on arrival of your flight, you find your mobility equipment is damaged or cannot be used by you safely, we will arrange and pay for local providers to supply temporary replacement equipment (albeit not necessarily on a like-for-like basis) or if possible by temporarily lending you our equipment.
  
  However, liability for the damage (fixing or replacing the equipment) is with the airline directly.
• Assistance dogs
  Assistance dogs travel with passengers in the cabin of the aircraft. This information needs to be given to the airline, tour operator or travel agent at the time of booking your flights. If travelling on a direct international flight then procedures need to be followed in conjunction with DAERA to ensure compliance with the Pet Travel Scheme.
  
  Further information on pet travel can be found here.
• Travelling with Autism
  Travelling on an aeroplane can be worrying for someone on the Autistic spectrum, especially when it’s a break in their routine and they are unsure of what to expect. It can be a stressful journey for both the passenger and their travelling companions.
  
  However, this section will take you on the journey through Belfast City Airport, using videos to explain the stages you will go through. There are 5 videos, each lasting about 5 minutes, describing what you will see and hear on your journey. This allows you and your travelling companion to watch different aspects of the airport process.
   
  *Please note – in filming these sequences, we took a ‘child’s eye’ view.
  
   
• Getting round the airport with AccessAble

  

  AccessAble and Belfast City Airport have worked in collaboration to create a detailed guide to assist you in getting around the airport. 

  Please select the individual areas of interest here.

  AccessAble have launched a brand new mobile App which aims to transform the quality and availability of accessibility information. The App is available free for IoS and Android; users can create a profile, save their favourites and set their own preferences using AccessAble’s Accessibility Symbols.

  The app contains all of AccessAble’s guides for Belfast City Airport and is useful when moving around the airport on the go.

• Hidden disability lanyards

  Airport journeys can be a stressful experience for many people, especially those travelling with a hidden disability such as Autism, Dementia, Alzheimer's or Crohn’s Disease. We have Hidden disability lanyards available, free of charge, which passengers can wear throughout their journey through Belfast City Airport.

  These lanyards can be collected from our Special Assistance desk on the day of travel and will indicate to staff throughout the terminal building that assistance or extra time is required.

• Groups we work with
  Autism NI
  We regularly facilitate familiarisation visits to the Airport for groups of children and their parents enabling them to experience the Airport environment first hand before the day of travel.
   
  IMTAC (Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee)
  IMTAC provide feedback throughout the year from individuals and groups who live with a wide range of disabilities. Belfast City Airport works closely with this organisation to ensure the feedback is adhered to throughout our terminal building.
   
  Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
  The Consumer Council provide feedback throughout the year from groups and individuals living with various disabilities. Just as with IMTAC, we work closely with the Consumer Council to review all feedback and ensure we do our best to meet the needs and requirements of anyone with a disability travelling through the Airport.
   
  Guide Dogs NI and Northern Ireland Assistance Dogs (NIAD)
  Belfast City Airport, in conjunction with airline partners, regularly facilitates training events for Guide Dogs NI and Northern Ireland Assistance Dogs. Groups of guide dog puppies and their handlers visit the terminal in order to familiarise the dogs with the airport surroundings and procedures, from check-in and security right through to boarding an aircraft.
  
  Action on Hearing Loss 
  We work with Action on Hearing Loss to improve the service that we offer at the Airport to persons with hearing loss, hearing impairments or hearing difficulties. As a result of this partnership, a portable induction loop is now available at the Airport and regular training is delivered to our Special Assistance teams.
  
  Alzheimer’s Society
  We work with the Alzheimer’s Society to improve the service that we can offer passengers with Dementia or Alzheimer’s, with several workshops being delivered to airport staff including our Special Assistance team, Security personnel and handling agents.
  
  NOW Group
  The NOW group was developed to build awareness and address barriers for people with learning and communication difficulties. They launched JAM (Just A Minute) cards in 2018 and Belfast City Airport was the first airport in the whole of the UK to implement the cards.
  
  Crohn’s and Colitis UK NI
  As a result of our partnership with Crohn’s and Colitis UK NI, we added signage to the doors of all of our disabled toilets as a gentle reminder that not all disabilities are visible. We also installed a ‘Radar’ lock on all our Changing Places toilets.
  
  Urostomy Association
  The Urostomy Association provides Belfast City Airport with stoma training in order to improve the level of care to our passengers travelling with stoma.
  
  Ramble Tag
  Ramble Tags have been added to the wide variety of support equipment used at Belfast City Airport. The Ramble Tag hardness acts as guidance aid for visually impaired people, with the harness worn on the arm of the guide.
  
  RNIB
  We work with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to improve the service that we offer at the Airport to blind or partially-sighted passengers.
• Accessibility forum
  At Belfast City Airport, we aim to deliver an airport experience that exceeds the expectations of our passengers and to do that, we continually review the feedback that we receive from organisations on our Forum committee.
   
  The last meeting was held on 4^th April 2022 when we welcomed members of our Accessibility Forum to the airport for a tour of the terminal. After such a long absence due to Covid restrictions, it was great to be able to meet again in person.
   
  As a result of the visit, the Consumer Council submitted a report outlining the Airport's accessibility, which can be viewed here.
   
  An open invitation for a separate tour of our facilities has been extended to any forum members who could not attend the last meeting due to unforeseen circumstances.
  
  We will continue to work with the organisations listed above moving forward and remained committed to seeking relationships with other disability groups to ensure we are delivering the best service possible.