Introduction

The PRM passenger segment is among the fastest-growing in commercial aviation, and the regulatory framework has matured significantly with the 2024 Commission Interpretative Guidelines and Amendment 1 to ECAC Doc 30, Part I, Section 5.

This course equips airport, airline and ground service provider managers to lead PRM operations confidently in this environment. Built on Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 and the 2024 Interpretative Guidelines, ECAC Doc 30, Part I, Section 5, with comparative reference to the US Air Carrier Access Act, it moves participants from regulatory understanding to operational mastery — through the end-to-end passenger journey, the allocation of responsibilities, and the quality and assessment architecture.

The course is distinguished by experiential design, including role-reversal exercises coordinated with JAATO's parallel course for CAA/National Enforcement Body (NEB) inspectors. It concludes with an examination and a personal action plan.

Course Content

Teaching Points:

• The statutory definition of PRMs and the full spectrum of disabilities, including non-visible disabilities; the principles of dignity and autonomy.
• The demographic and business case underlying rising assistance demand.
• The layered legal and policy framework: Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 and the 2024 Commission Interpretative Guidelines; ECAC Doc 30, Part I,
  Section 5, including Amendment 1; ICAO Annex 9; the European Accessibility Act; and the comparative US Air Carrier Access Act.
• The non-discrimination principle, the two narrow derogations to refusal of carriage, the safety-assistant requirement, the duty to give reasons, medical fitness to fly, and the dignity constraint in safety assessments.
• The end-to-end passenger journey and the allocation of responsibilities between airport managing body (Annex I) and air carrier (Annex II), with focus on the handover points where service failures concentrate.
• Airport managing body operations: provision models, service-level agreements with assistance providers, operations manuals, equipment, accessibility of facilities, wayfinding, and evacuation planning for PRMs.
• Airline and ground handling operations: booking and information accessibility, transmission of information across actors, IATA AHM/GHM provisions, on-board accommodations and limitations, and cabin-crew duties including the personal-comfort boundary.
• Pre-notification and resource planning: the 48/36-hour logic, pre-notification as an operational enabler, the reasonable-efforts duty for non-pre-notified passengers, and resource planning across the operation.
• Assistance dogs and the ECAC Doc 30, Part I,
  Annex 5-M; mobility-equipment handling under
  Annex II; medical equipment and medical oxygen; and the liability framework for lost or damaged equipment.
• Service quality and charges: Article 9 quality standards, the Article 8 specific charge with its transparency and cost-related obligations, performance monitoring tools, and where safety-relevant, SMS reporting.
• Accessible information and communication: accessible-format obligations, the One Click Away principle (Annex 5-J), the European Accessibility Act floor, and operational communication across disability types.
• Training under Article 11: the three training intensities, refresher cadences, training records, instructor qualification, and the role of PRM organisations in training design.
• Disruptions, complaints and assessment readiness: disruption management under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, complaints handling, NEB escalation, and the ECAC Doc 30, Part I, Annex 5-L.

 

Division in Modules:

Day 1 — Module 1: Foundation: Who, What, Why

• Submodule 1.0 – Introduction
• Submodule 1.1 – The People and the Business Case
• Submodule 1.2 – The Legal and Policy Framework
• Submodule 1.3 – Non-Discrimination, Refusal and Safety
• Activities: Finding the right regulatory provisions; Experiencing accessibility barriers

 

Day 2 — Module 2: The Passenger Journey and Airport Operations

• Submodule 2.1 –The Passenger Journey and Allocation of Responsibilities
• Submodule 2.2  – Airport Managing Body Operations
• Activity: Journey hand-off simulation

 

Day 3 — Module 3: Airlines, Ground Handling and Equipment

• Submodule 3.1  – Airline and Ground Handling Operations
• Submodule 3.2 – Pre-Notification, Information and Resource Planning
• Submodule 3.3 – Assistance Dogs, Mobility and Medical Equipment
• Activity: Safe handling and damaged mobility equipment scenario

 

Day 4 — Module 4: Quality, Assessment and Closing

• Submodule 4.1 – Service Quality, Charges and Monitoring
• Submodule 4.2 – Accessible Information and Communication
• Submodule 4.3 – Training and the Article 11 Architecture
• Submodule 4.4 – Disruptions, Complaints and Assessment Readiness
• Activities: Handling a complaint; Service quality/KPI exercise; PRM charge transparency exercise; mock-assessment centre; full-team integrating exercise; individual action plan

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

• Identify the relevant provisions from the legal framework applicable to PRM, namely the requirements in EU Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 and the Interpretative Guidelines; ECAC Doc 30, Part I, Section 5; US Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and its implementing regulation,
  Title 14 CFR Part 382; IATA Resolution 700; ICAO Annex 9; and ICAO Doc 9984 - Manual on Access to Air Transport by Persons with Disabilities.
• Describe the main types of disability and their operational implications.
• Streamline the operational set-up of PRM assistance across all touchpoints of the air passenger journey.
• Coordinate the aforementioned set-up.
• Apply service quality tools to improve PRM satisfaction and monitor assistance performance.
• Apply measures to reduce exposure to operational risks, complaints, and claims.
• Prepare for NEB/CAA inspections, including the calculation and justification of PRM charges.

Who should take this course

Target Audience (sector): Industry — airport operators, ground handling companies, and airlines (legacy carriers, low-cost carriers, charter airlines).

The course is designed for mid-to-senior managers and duty managers across the PRM service chain, in particular:

• Airport Operations Managers, Terminal Managers, and Customer Service Managers
• Ground Handling Managers
• Airline Managers responsible for assisted-travel operations and Airline Station Managers
• Airport Security Managers  (in their PRM-handling capacity).

Pre-requisites

Essential

• Professional proficiency in English (Level 4) to effectively participate in discussion, group exercises and examination.

 

Desirable

• Professional experience in airport operations, ground handling, airline operations, or PRM service provision (minimum 2 years recommended).
• Working knowledge of PRM operations and the basic principles of the European framework (Regulation (EC) 1107/2006).

Duration

4 days, classroom-based:

Day 1: 09:00 – 17:00

Day 2: 09:00 – 17:00

Day 3: 09:00 – 17:00

Day 4: 09:00 – 16:00