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Envera participates in the dialogue on accessibility and air transport organized at Espacio Iberia


  • Other participants included British Airways, Airbus, IAG, Paralympic medalist Miriam Martínez, AENA, Amadeus, Fundación ONCE, Ilunion and Plena Inclusión.

Madrid | May 29, 2024

Envera's CEO, Enrique Grande, participated in the dialogue 'Accessibility in air transport: challenges and opportunities' held this Tuesday at Espacio Iberia, located at number 40 Gran Vía in Madrid, which brought together experts, companies and travelers to address this crucial issue for the respect of the rights of people with disabilities and for the competitiveness of air travel.

Grande pointed out that travelers with disabilities are "very interesting customers for the sector" because they travel in a seasonally adjusted way throughout the year, they are usually accompanied and they invest more in their trips. And he recalled that "one of the main factors that people with disabilities take into account when choosing a destination is the treatment they receive, so we must take into account their preferences and customer experience".

The meeting, organized by the airline and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, was presented by Ainhoa Serrano, Social Impact Manager at Iberia, and Xavier Mascarell, Customer Accessibility Strategy Manager at British Airways, who gave way to a round table discussion with Manuel Vinagre, Director of External Services at AENA; Gabriel Barroso, Industrial Engineer at Airbus; and Santiago Ruiz, from the Universal Accessibility Department of the ONCE Foundation.

In the presentation of the event, Serrano and Mascarell pointed out "that 16% of the world's population has a disability, a figure that will grow due to the general aging of society", a fact confirmed by AENA, since the Barrier-Free Service offered at airports has had an increase of 55% of requests in the last months with respect to the same period of previous years, as shown in the data presented by Manuel Vinagre.

In the case of Airbus, which maintains a firm commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities as a trustee of the Tutelar Envera Foundation, Barroso explained the adaptations that are being carried out in the manufacture of aircraft to improve the experience of passengers with reduced mobility. The challenge, said the engineer, is to adapt aircraft to make them more accessible and, at the same time, meet the "demanding" aeronautical safety requirements: "this is one of our objectives in our sustainability strategy".

What is good for people with disabilities, what is inclusive and accessible, in short, is good for everyone. This is clear from the explanations of Raquel Cárcamo, the first person with an intellectual disability to become a member of the Board of Directors of Plena Inclusión, who described the complicated process that a person with a disability has to face when living the experience of flying: from the choice of destination, the on-line purchase of the ticket, the journey through the airport, the attention on the plane and the arrival at a place that is often unknown.

"Many times, not wanting to go through such a frightening and frustrating experience takes your mind off the idea of traveling," says Miriam Martinez, a Paralympic silver medalist in Tokyo. Says Miriam Martinez, silver medalist Paralympic athlete in Tokyo.

This ex-military and aeronautical engineer from Alicante, whose life was changed by a neurodegenerative disease when she was only 27 years old, says that she wanted to find her place in the world and it was in sport where she found refuge. She acknowledges what that entails. "I have to travel with my wheelchair, with my racing chair, with my sports equipment and, of course, with a support person to help me carry everything. From his own experience, he believes that "Iberia can become a great problem solver" by making it easier for people with disabilities to go wherever they want.

From 2023, Iberia has been awarded the Dis-Friendly Seal of Approval by Envera awarded by Envera, which recognizes its excellence in inclusion by welcoming all customers with open arms, regardless of their needs, age or whether they have any type of disability.

The Dis-Friendly Dis-Friendly Sealwhich has the institutional support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, is awarded to companies that go beyond compliance with accessibility regulations and strive to adapt to welcome their customers with disabilities, the elderly or those with special needs with kindness and empathy.

Representatives of IAG, Amadeus and Ilunion Hoteles also participated in the meeting to explain the actions they are developing to improve accessibility in the tourism and aeronautical sector.