Introduction
The course provides Civil Aviation Authority officers and inspection staff with a comprehensive overview of the regulatory framework for PRM assistance, guidance on building effective audits, and best practices for addressing the specific needs of passengers with different types of disability.
Course Content
Module 1 - Foundations: Regulatory Framework, Disability Awareness and Best Practices for CAAs
Regulatory framework:
- Reg. EC no. 1107/2006 and its Interpretative Guidelines (ed. 2024)
- ECAC DOC 30 Part 1 Section 5
- IATA Resolution 700
- ICAO Annex 9
- USA Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and its impact to EU PRM operations
- UNCRPD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)
Disability awareness:
- physical, sensory and hidden disabilities
- classification of passengers needing assistance
- best practices for CAAs in addressing different disabilities
Other best practices for CAAs:
- information to passengers
- national Disability Advisory Boards and involvement of organisations representing people with disabilities
- coordination between CAA, airport and carriers
- handling of PRM-related complaints and enforcement actions
- reporting and data collection
Module 2 - Monitoring the Activity of the Airport Managing Bodies
- pre-notified and non-pre-notified PRMs, and how the CAA can support the increase of the pre-notification rate
- assistance provided to PRMs and how it should be assessed
- calculation of PRM charge and how to evaluate it
- facilities and arrangements that the CAA should assess
- quality standards for assistance and how to monitor it
- airport layout and accessibility features and how to draft an audit plan
- assessing call points for PRMs
- security checks for PRMs and how to assess them
- how to facilitate travelling with assistance dogs
- training of the personnel and how to assess it
- complaint procedures and how to verify their effectiveness
- information to PRMs on the airport's website
- "grey areas" for CAAs
Module 3 - Monitoring the Activity of the Air Carriers
- information to PRMs on the airline's website
- booking procedures
- refusal of carriage of the PRM: conditions, procedures and how to address the matter
- how to assess limitations on mobility aid and medical devices
- how to assess limitations on the number of PRMs onboard
- assistance provided to PRMs and how to assess it
- codes used and how to verify their conformity
- how to verify the correct transmission of information to the airport managing body: PAL, CAL and PSM messages
- responsibility for mobility aids damage or loss
- accompanying persons
- seating allocation of PRMs
- how to draft an audit plan
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- demonstrate a thorough understanding of the international regulatory framework applicable to PRM assistance
- develop national policies aimed at improving the quality of PRM assistance services
- design effective audit plans targeting airport managing bodies and national air carriers
- effectively monitor PRM assistance service quality levels at national airports over time
- identify the most appropriate approaches to assisting passengers with different types of disability
- handle PRM-related complaints effectively, ensuring that appropriate enforcement action is taken where necessary
Who should take this course
- Managers, Officers and Inspectors dealing with passengers rights at CAAs.
- Primarily aimed at officers responsible for the direct monitoring of airports and air carriers, this course provides practical tools and knowledge that are immediately applicable in day-to-day oversight activities. Given the central role of awareness in PRM-related decision-making, it is also highly recommended for managers overseeing these areas.
Pre-requisites
Familiarity with PRM services, related activities and the responsibilities of Civil Aviation Authorities in this field.
Duration
3 Days: 09:00 – 16:30 hrs.