East Midlands Airport’s assisted travel service has doubled the number of mobility scooters available for customers to use to easily get through the airport and onto aircraft.
Six new electric scooters bring the total to 12 that are now available to any assisted travel customer, giving them independence and freedom to travel through the airport from check-in to the aircraft. All they need to do is book on arrival, watch a short user video and off they go. Where needed, an ‘ambulift’ vehicle will transport them from the boarding gates to the aircraft doors.
The scooters and ambulifts are all part of the airport’s award-winning assisted travel service, which offers support for anyone who feels they need extra help getting through the airport.
This could be because of anything from anxiety about flying and uncertainty about procedures to medical conditions, including mobility or mental health issues. One-to-one support is provided, with special waiting areas set aside at check-in and in the departure lounge. A new quiet room was opened in the departure lounge earlier this year, along with a first-of-its-kind sensory pod, for those who need to step away from noise and sensory overload.
East Midlands is one of only two airports to gain the highest UK Civil Aviation Authority rating of ‘Very Good’ for accessibility for the sixth year running last year. In 2025, 89.8% of assisted travel customers said their experience was ‘good’ or ‘very good’, recognising not just customer service, but also the quality of the physical environment, communication tools and staff friendliness. The service helped 100,000 customers for the first time in 2025.
East Midlands Airport’s Customer Services and Planning Director, Mike Grimes, said: “We’re super proud of our assisted travel service, which is shaped by an independent accessibility advisory group made up entirely of disabled airport users.
“Listening to them has led to lots of improvements to what is already a very popular service and these scooters are just the latest example of that. It means we can provide an effortless travel experience to all of our customers, whatever their needs.”
