According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated one in six people worldwide — approximately 1.3 billion people — experience significant disability. representing approximately one in six individuals. This proportion will increase as populations age, making accessibility a priority for aviation.
We announced our new strategy, that will accelerate progress when it comes to accessibility in aviation for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, in front of delegates from governments, industry, civil society and international organizations who gathered at ICAO Headquarters in Montréal for the Second Joint ICAO/ACI/IATA Symposium on Accessibility in International Civil Aviation.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also mandates equal access to transportation and related services. ICAO’s accessibility activities are driving progress towards this objective throughout the international civil aviation system, in alignment with ICAO’s strategic vision of air transport for all. 
Ensuring equal access throughout the travel experience
Passengers encounter accessibility issues at each point in their journey: booking flights, arriving at airports, checking in, passing through security and border procedures, locating gates, boarding planes, communicating with staff, making connections, collecting baggage, and managing disruptions.
The Symposium, that took place from 14-15 September 2026, gathered diverse expertise, including persons with lived experience relating to these issues and looked at feasible solutions for addressing them. Participants looked into the delivery of universal-design infrastructure, services, and products. Training the aviation workforce to understand the broad range of passenger needs was also among the areas of focus. This included recognizing and meeting the needs of passengers with non-visible disabilities, such as neurodiverse passengers and passengers living with cognitive disabilities.
Understanding and commitment must result in action
The ICAO Assembly created a global mandate for accessibility through its unanimous adoption of Resolution A42-14 last year. The Resolution obliges ICAO to, inter alia, exercise continuous leadership on accessibility towards accessible, reliable, and seamless travel for everyone. This mandate will inform ICAO’s updates to the standards and recommended practices annexed to the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Governments set regulatory requirements in alignment with the Convention. This alignment creates a consistent international framework for airport and airline facilities and services that are adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities.
While the Convention already requires accessible services, these talks will help inform future updates. These could prescribe how to meet changing passenger expectations, advances in technology, and increased demand for services.
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A clear path forward
States, regulators, airports, airlines, service providers, and disability organizations are implementing effective approaches that deliver substantial results. ICAO’s strategy, following approval by the Council, will strengthen these efforts by calling on stakeholders to embed accessibility in future aviation strategies, policies, operations, and investment decisions from the outset.
This will benefit everyone because operational excellence improves resilience: a robust aviation system that consistently serves every passenger, including vulnerable travellers, is better equipped to withstand disruptions generally.
While the ICAO Council is expected to approve the new strategy in January next year, the symposium’s discussions will close tomorrow with steps to facilitate improvements, including measuring progress. ICAO will continue to lead and coordinate efforts worldwide as regulators and industry ramp up initiatives to implement the existing framework and align with the best practices emerging from this symposium.
Through these actions, aviation will be closer to ensuring that every passenger travels safely, independently, confidently, and with dignity.
In the event you missed being at the event, or want to revisit a discussion from one of the sessions, recordings from the Symposium are available on ICAO TV. Explore the programme below to find the sessions that interest you most, so you can watch the recordings at your convenience.
