Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 — Rights of Disabled and Reduced-Mobility Air Passengers
Making spoken airport information available in an alternative accessible format
What this is
Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 establishes rights for disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs) travelling by air, and duties on airport managing bodies, air carriers, and their agents and tour operators. It applies in the UK as assimilated law (the post-2024 term for what was previously called “retained EU law”) following Brexit, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority's role as UK enforcement body (see the separate CAA guidance datasheet).
Who it applies to
Airport managing bodies, for the airport journey, and air carriers (and their agents and tour operators), for the flight itself, operating from UK and EU airports.
What kind of instrument this is
A directly applicable EU Regulation, carried into UK domestic law after Brexit and now termed assimilated law — mandatory, not voluntary guidance.
Specific requirements relevant to announcements and accessible information
- Recital 13 of the preamble establishes the general principle that all essential information provided to air passengers should be available in alternative formats accessible to disabled persons and PRMs.
- Article 4(3) requires air carriers and tour operators to make safety rules publicly available in accessible formats, in at least the same languages as information made available to other passengers.
- Articles 6 and 7(1) govern how assistance notifications are transmitted between booking agents, tour operators, carriers and airport managing bodies, generally requiring at least 48 hours' notice.
- Annex I (duties of airport managing bodies) includes “communication of information needed to take flights, in accessible formats.”
- Annex II (duties of air carriers) includes “communication of essential information concerning a flight in accessible formats.”
What organisations are expected to do
- Provide safety and essential flight information — delays, gate changes, boarding calls — in accessible formats and languages.
- Operate the assistance notification and booking chain correctly between agents, carriers and airports.
- Ensure both airport managing bodies (Annex I) and air carriers (Annex II) meet their respective accessible-information duties.
Which requirements AnnounceAgain can help address
The Annex I and Annex II accessible-format communication duties, and the Recital 13 general principle, specifically for spoken gate and terminal PA announcements that would otherwise only reach passengers who can hear and understand them.
How AnnounceAgain addresses them
- Automatically transcribes terminal and gate PA announcements — boarding calls, gate changes, delays, safety messages — into text, providing an accessible-format alternative to a purely audible channel.
- Translates announcements, supporting the Article 4(3) “same languages” principle for non-native-language passengers as well as disabled passengers.
- Makes announcements reviewable on a passenger's own device, useful for passengers who cannot process a live announcement as it happens.
Requirements AnnounceAgain does not satisfy by itself
- Does not manage the assistance notification or booking process required under Articles 6–7.
- Does not itself provide physical PRM assistance — wheelchairs, boarding assistance, staff escort.
- Does not, by itself, guarantee an airport managing body's or carrier's overall compliance with Annexes I/II, which cover many duties beyond announcements, such as accessible toilets, priority boarding, and staff training.
Requirements needing certified hardware or other measures
- Physical assistance services and equipment — wheelchairs, ambulift, boarding ramps.
- Staff training in disability awareness, and the booking/notification IT systems connecting travel agents, carriers and airports under Articles 6–7.
- Fixed flight information display screens, which airports typically also operate independently of AnnounceAgain.