Canberra, Australia: The Australian Government has released draft Aviation Disability Standards on August 6, 2026, opening a public consultation on proposed measures aimed at making air travel more accessible and consistent for people with disability. The consultation paper was released by the Australian Government through Transport Minister Catherine King, with the announcement made at the 2026 Australian Aviation Summit. The draft standards stem from the Albanese Government’s 2024 Aviation White Paper commitment to protect the rights of people with disability during air travel.
The proposed standards have been developed through co-design workshops with people with disability and consultation with the aviation industry. The government has developed multiple proposed solutions to barriers experienced across the passenger journey, covering the whole journey, flight booking and planning, navigating airports and terminals, and travelling onboard aircraft.
The government said the proposed measures are intended to make air travel easier and more consistent for Australians with disability, as well as their families, carers and support workers, while taking into account the operational challenges faced by airlines, airports and aviation workers.
Transport Minister Catherine King said 5.5 million Australians live with disability and described access to air travel as an important part of life in a country as large as Australia. She thanked people who had shared their experiences to help develop solutions addressing barriers encountered at airports and during air travel, and said the standards would be refined through the consultation process.
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Jenny MacAllister also urged people with lived experience of disability to review the consultation paper and provide feedback, saying Australians with disability had made a significant contribution to the work and that the draft now gives the community options to consider.
The proposed standards build on the government’s commitment in the August 2024 Aviation White Paper to create aviation-specific disability standards. The standards are intended to sit as a schedule to the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002, which operate under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Under the government’s broader framework, the standards would affirm the rights of people with disability while clarifying the obligations of airlines and airports. They would require airlines and airports to coordinate assistance, require airlines to offer passenger assistance profiles, and review airline policies that restrict the number of passengers requiring assistance. The government also plans to develop user guides explaining passengers’ legal rights and the obligations of airlines and airports.
The government has said it will publicly report on airline and airport compliance once the new requirements are in place. Airlines and airports already have obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act and existing public transport accessibility standards, while the proposed aviation-specific standards are intended to provide greater certainty around those obligations.
The standards are being developed through a co-design process overseen by the Aviation Accessibility Steering Committee. The committee is co-chaired by the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and People with Disability Australia, with the Justice and Equity Centre, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing also represented.
Three co-design workshops were held in July and August 2025, focusing on journey planning, accessibility onboard aircraft and accessibility at airports. The process identified four guiding principles: people with disability should be involved in designing policies and infrastructure affecting their travel; services should be consistent across airlines and airports; disability-awareness training should be a critical requirement for staff, contractors and passenger screening personnel; and information about policies, procedures and available assistance should be transparent and provided in accessible formats.
The aviation industry was not part of the co-design workshops but has been consulted throughout the development process. A dedicated industry workshop was held after the three disability workshops to ensure technical information was considered, while airlines, airports and industry peak bodies are also being invited to provide formal input through the public consultation.
The government’s consultation process is now open and will remain open until October 2, 2026. Australians with disability, families, carers, support workers and advocates are being encouraged to review the proposals and provide feedback. Submissions can also be made in an accessible format by contacting the Aviation Accessibility team.
Alongside the draft standards, the government has released the first new Australian Air Passenger Travel Guide. The guide is designed to help all travellers, including passengers with accessibility requirements or disability, navigate air travel and avoid common problems, particularly those travelling by air for the first time. It is available in accessible formats including Easy Read, Auslan and video, and has also been translated into Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek and Italian.
The latest consultation represents another step in a process that began with the 2024 Aviation White Paper. Once public consultation is completed, recommendations will be provided to the government for consideration. An exposure draft of the standards is then expected to be released for further public feedback before legislation is finalised and tabled in Parliament. The Aviation Disability Standards would take effect following that legislative process.
The government’s move follows longstanding concerns about barriers faced by people with disabilities when travelling by air, including issues around assistance, information, airport navigation and accessibility onboard aircraft. The Australian Aviation report noted that King highlighted the need for practical improvements and pointed to recent accessibility initiatives such as Adelaide Airport’s new sensory room and its support dog Elmo as examples of co-designed measures already being introduced by industry.
The August 6 release therefore marks the transition from the earlier co-design phase to a broader public consultation, giving people with disability, industry and other stakeholders an opportunity to influence the proposed requirements before they progress towards legislation.
