Navigating airports: a scoping review of physical access challenges and experiences for persons with disabilities.
Ahmed Hadj Hassen, Ernesto Morales, David Gotti and 1 others
If a patient with a disability is planning air travel, expect barriers at every stage. 'Accessible' features often don't work in practice, invisible disabilities are ignored in design, and access depends on staff help.
Plan ahead and advocate for the patient's specific needs.
Key findings
1Across all stages of the airport journey, accessible infrastructure is present but often poorly located, maintained, or integrated, so its mere existence does not guarantee a traveler can use it independently or with dignity.
2Sensory, cognitive, and psychosocial disabilities are systematically underrepresented in both the research base and airport design, creating a blind spot where these travelers' needs go unmet.
3Access continues to depend on individualized staff assistance rather than inclusive design, making it contingent on the kindness of others and creating separate, stigmatizing pathways for passengers with disabilities.
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What it does not show
Most included studies come from Europe, North America, or East Asia; the authors acknowledge that accessibility experiences in African, South American, or Middle Eastern airports may differ substantially. The gray literature was limited to Canadian sources, so regulatory and institutional observations may not transfer to other airport systems. The included studies focus predominantly on visible physical disabilities; invisible disabilities (cognitive, sensory, psychosocial) remain under-documented in the literature the review draws on. Many included studies are qualitative and rich in detail but limited in statistical representativeness; others are highly technical and overlook subjective traveler experiences. The review captures a snapshot in time; accessibility is a constantly evolving field shaped by legislation, technology, and civic activism, so some findings may already be shifting.
Declared interests
Funded by Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) through the project 'Inclusive Airports: Developing Accessibility Standards for Canadian Airports' (Grant No. ASC-23/24-050-C), with additional support from Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé. The funder supported the design and implementation of the study, including data collection, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge mobilization. The authors state the funder had no role in the analysis or interpretation of the data, the preparation of the manuscript, or the decision to submit for publication.
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