Henri Coandă Airport – by your side, for a barrier-free journey

Ten people with disabilities answered the invitation of Bucharest Airports National Company, coming from many corners of the country to participate in a demonstration exercise whose objective was to promote the spirit of mobility. Thus, we simulated all the stages necessary for boarding a person with reduced mobility, covering the entire route, from using the call system for people with disabilities and being taken over by the employees of the PRM Assistance department, to the check-in formalities, security control and boarding the aircraft, either using the regular boarding bridges or, in case of far off parked aircrafts, using one of the four airport’s ambulifts. In order to have a complete airport experience, a disembarkation was also simulated, starting from being taken from the aircraft with the ambulift, accompanying a PRM person on the arrivals flow and ending with the arrival in the public area. We hope that all this information, as well as the facilities offered by Bucharest “Henri Coandă” International Airport – in addition to the aforementioned ambulifts, the twelve new electric wheelchairs – will encourage people with disabilities to travel. Moreover, our guests – people who have chosen not to give in to obstacles and, armed with ambition and perseverance, show everyone that they can not only travel, but even perform at a sporting level – are a more than convincing example that people with disabilities can benefit from a barrier-free journey, experiencing the joy of flying just like able-bodied people.

Through their confidence in their own strength, will, courage and ambition to overcome their limits, opening up new horizons, the participants in the event " Henri Coandă Airport – by your side, for a barrier-free journey ", organized on November 20, offered us a valuable life lesson, as well as all the reasons to declare them true ambassadors of mobility, being a role model for us all.