The new Melbourne Airport Assist program will increase its accessibility offering with four ‘Mobility Hubs’ staffed by Victorian-based non-profit organisation Travellers Aid to improve the experience for passengers with visible and non-visible disability and access requirements.
The first of its kind in Australia, the Melbourne Airport Assist pilot program is designed to address the barriers within the airport precinct and will complement existing airline services.
Now available, the Mobility Hubs will assist travellers in navigating between the airport’s carparks, check-in areas, baggage halls and passenger pick-up and drop-off zones.
The four-month trial will initially run from Monday to Friday between 10am and 6pm. Outside these trial hours, support for people with limited mobility is available via Melbourne Airport’s Ground Transport team and the Chaplaincy service.
Airport Assist will include buggy transfers between the T4 ground transport hub and the Jetstar, Rex, Virgin Australia and international arrivals and departures areas, wheelchair transfers from VA hubs, sensory packs, communication boards for non-verbal travellers and Hidden Disability Sunflower Program lanyards.
Increased need to address travel-related challenges
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the service results from commissioned research over the past 18 months to understand the barriers experienced by travellers with disability and access requirements.
“One in 10 travellers are now telling us that they need some form of extra help at Melbourne Airport and with an ageing population, the number of passengers needing mobility assistance is only going to increase,” she said.
“We know that our growing precinct, coupled with increasing passenger numbers, means there are more people who need help moving around the terminals and carparks. We hope this trial will help address the problems some of our passengers encounter getting where they need to go.
“We are committed to creating a more inclusive travel experience and the Airport Assist pilot is a significant step toward ensuring all travellers can navigate the airport with ease and confidence,” she said.
Travellers Aid CEO Elias Lebbos said: “We look forward to collaborating with Melbourne Airport and Get Skilled Access to meet the needs of the growing number of passengers who require mobility assistance.”
Get Skilled Access Co-CEO Zack Alcott said: “The Hubs will change the airport experience for people with disability. Hopefully, the Hubs can ease the fear of what has traditionally been quite a stressful experience for people with access needs.”
Find out more at melbourneairport.com.au/onsite-mobility-hubs
