Kolkata Airport Staff Training: Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport has introduced an important measure to enhance accessibility and dignity in air travel: training airport staff to handle passengers with special needs. With the festive rush of Durga Puja around the corner and passenger traffic expected to surge, the move comes at a crucial time.
The training programme, organised jointly by the National Institute for Locomotor Disabilities (NILD), the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), focused on improving how ground staff, airline workers, and security personnel interact with and assist passengers with diverse disabilities. This includes people with reduced mobility, visual or hearing impairments, autism, or other invisible disabilities.
Kolkata Airport Staff Training: Details of the Workshop
Who Attended
The sensitisation session was attended by around 50 CISF personnel and several airline staff. These individuals are directly responsible for tasks such as security frisking, passenger assistance, and baggage handling—areas where insensitivity or lack of training can cause distress to passengers with disabilities.
Key Lessons
- Respect in Security Procedures: Staff were guided on how to conduct security frisking without humiliation, especially for wheelchair users or people with prosthetics. Private screening options and wider frisking booths were highlighted as necessities.
- Better Communication: Training included guidance on how to interact with passengers with speech or hearing impairments, including the use of simple sign language gestures and patient listening.
- Awareness of Invisible Disabilities: Participants were taught that not all disabilities are visible. Conditions like autism, mental health issues, or chronic pain can affect how passengers respond to instructions.
- Practical Demonstrations: The session featured live demonstrations of assistive devices and role-play scenarios to make staff understand real-life challenges faced by differently-abled passengers.
- Policy Awareness: Staff were reminded of existing national guidelines and international standards on accessible aviation.
Why This Matters
For passengers with special needs, airports can be intimidating spaces. Long queues, confusing announcements, and standardised security processes often fail to account for different physical or cognitive abilities. Lack of training among staff has previously led to reports of humiliation, miscommunication, and even denial of services.
By introducing this training, Kolkata airport is taking a step to ensure:
- Human dignity is protected
- Legal compliance with Indian disability rights laws
- Better travel experience for vulnerable groups
- Safer and smoother airport operations
Legal & Policy Framework
This initiative aligns with India’s broader legal and policy commitments:
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016: This Act guarantees equality, accessibility, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
👉 Read more here - Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) by DGCA: Mandates airlines and airports to provide wheelchair assistance, accessible washrooms, priority services, and non-discriminatory treatment.
👉 DGCA Passenger Rights - Airports Authority of India – Accessibility Norms: AAI has laid down standards for ramps, tactile flooring, special counters, and signage for “Divyangjan.”
👉 AAI Accessibility Guidelines
These frameworks underline that accessibility is not charity, but a legal right.
Challenges Still Ahead
While this training is commendable, challenges remain:
- Infrastructure gaps: Many airports still lack wider frisking cubicles, tactile pathways, or sufficient private screening rooms.
- Staff turnover: With frequent personnel changes, ensuring continuous training for new recruits is difficult.
- Monitoring compliance: Rules exist on paper, but their consistent implementation requires monitoring, feedback, and accountability.
- Invisible disabilities: More awareness is needed about cognitive and developmental disorders that may not be outwardly visible but deeply impact travel experiences.
Broader Context
Globally, accessible aviation is becoming a priority. Airports in Europe and the US have special desks, assistance lanes, and even dedicated staff to escort passengers with special needs. In India, airports like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have also improved facilities, but passenger experiences remain uneven.
The training at Kolkata airport reflects a growing recognition that inclusivity must go beyond infrastructure and extend into human behaviour and sensitivity.
The Human Side
Parents of children with autism, elderly wheelchair users, and visually impaired passengers often share stories of anxiety while passing through security checks. Sometimes insensitive remarks, hurried instructions, or a lack of assistance makes travel stressful. This workshop directly addressed such concerns by helping staff “step into the shoes” of passengers with disabilities.
Way Forward
To build on this effort, experts recommend:
- Conducting regular refresher workshops for all staff
- Installing better infrastructure like tactile flooring and accessible washrooms
- Setting up a feedback mechanism for differently-abled passengers
- Using assistive technologies like apps and audio-visual navigation aids
- Launching public awareness campaigns so even co-passengers understand the need for priority access
Conclusion
The sensitisation programme at Kolkata airport is more than just a training session—it signals a shift in how India views accessibility in public spaces. By recognising the dignity and rights of passengers with special needs, the airport is aligning itself with both national law and international best practices.
As passenger traffic increases during the festive season, these small but significant measures will help ensure that all travellers—regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities—can move through the airport with comfort, safety, and respect.
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