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ThinkingDesigning for dignity: the importance of equity and safety in aviation
Passengers, customers or guests? This was one of the questions posed at Passenger Terminal Expo 2026, emphasising that a shift is happening in transport design. Head of Accessibility & Inclusive Design, Emily Yates, shares her thoughts on how it is no longer enough to simply move people from A to B; how we move people, and the level of equity, efficiency and delight they experience along the way, is just as important. As is the careful consideration of who we might still be leaving behind.
Nowhere is this more visible than in aviation. Passenger assistance requests are skyrocketing (Heathrow expects usage to rise to over 3.8 million annually by 2032). Enabling passengers to maintain independence and autonomy wherever possible is important, but we also need to understand that the provision of autonomous wheelchairs is not the only, or whole, answer. Designing for dignity, equity and safety is not a constraint on innovation - it is the foundation of it, but it must be done in a way that allows design and operations to be considered in parallel; staff training, awareness and terminology use will always be as important for me as a wheelchair user as having equitable access to the latest self-service kiosk or wayfinding app.
Dignity as a design principle, not an afterthought
Airports are among the most complex public environments in the world. They compress stress, time pressure, cultural diversity and huge distances into a single journey. Most of these elements are hardly impacted or improved by compliance-led design; it is no longer enough to align with standards and regulations. As Jean Hewitt of Buro Happold noted in her talk as part of the Barrier-Free and Inclusive Travel track, we need to be thinking more holistically about sensory comfort as one area of many, and start applying the three C’s of choice, clarity and calm to our design thinking. Is the environment designed with enough flexibility to provide choice? Are facilities and amenities clear in terms of purpose, identification and ease of access? And is there somewhere to retreat to if design and/or operations fail? This is design that prioritises dignity.
Equity in motion: meeting every passenger where they’re at
Equity in transport is not just about accessibility, or providing the same, equal experience to those with and without additional requirements, regardless. Equity considers the as-is situation of the passenger, and the resources (or lack of) available to them in terms of time, finances, support, safety and security, language and communication systems, etc. An equitable journey may still be an adapted or assisted one, but it is one that provides the same experience and opportunity along the way.
One of the strongest themes at PTE 2026 was inclusive digitalisation. As airports embrace biometrics, AI and ‘touchless journeys’, there is a real risk of creating new, unequitable experiences and exclusions in parallel to removing old frictions. Analogue options will still be required, and equity will not be possible if we do not design for cognitive and sensory - as well as physical - access. Knee recesses and lowered heights are great, but what about a choice of contrasting colour palettes, chronological, easy-read instructions, and pan and zoom capabilities?
As highlighted at PTE, the future airport must be shaped by human-centred design alongside digital transformation, ensuring systems are inclusive as well as efficient. This includes designing ‘with’ passengers, customers and guests (as well as staff members and stakeholders) rather than designing 'for' them. Equity, in this sense, is about consultation, collaboration and choice. No passenger should feel forced into a single way of navigating the system.
Safety beyond compliance: from infrastructure to experience
Safety has always been central to aviation, but what’s changing is how we define it.
Traditionally, safety in airports has focused on engineering, regulation and risk mitigation. But we’re now seeing a clear expansion of that definition to include perceived safety and psychological comfort. In short, safety isn’t just about preventing harm, it’s about creating environments where people feel secure, oriented and in control. Sightlines, layouts, lighting, acoustics, staff presence and effective systems to promote passenger movement and flow all play a really important role.
In several projects across rail, roads and aviation, we know that safety is also experiential - relating to ergonomic comfort in control rooms and as part of signalling systems, the balance between privacy and vulnerability in spaces for prayer and reflection, and wayfinding systems designed to promote efficient and safe movement whilst minimising additional energy use.
Designing the journey, not just the terminal
Perhaps the most compelling idea threaded through this year’s PTE (and one that has been shared at other transport and innovation conferences and events we’ve attended, including the Connected Places Summit 2026) was that airports are no longer isolated areas. They are part of wider, interconnected transport ecosystems. Designing for dignity, equity and safety therefore does not and cannot stop at the terminal door. It must extend from the first to last mile, across connections, transfers and different transport modes, and be supported with accessible, intuitive planning tools and information. Technology, infrastructure and a sense of community should be seamlessly connected to create systems that work for people, and places that people want to be.
A final thought: who is transport really for?
Designing transport systems is ultimately about those that will use them - for work, pleasure, days out, last minute business trips, or leisurely holidays. Every decision about layout, technology, staffing or policy signals who the system is for, and to what extent they’ve been considered.
Conversations in the aviation industry suggest a hopeful direction of travel. One where choice and autonomy is designed in from the start, and safety is understood as both physical and human. Dignity and equity, though? They rely on carefully considered operations, the realisation that accessibility and inclusive design can also lead to commercial gain, and putting the person above the process when it really matters. We have a way to go, but it’s a start.
Written by:
Emily Yates
Head of Accessibility and Inclusive Design
Emily has worked on numerous accessibility initiatives for national and international organisations, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Heathrow Airport. Emily has also worked with the Council of Europe and sat on equality boards advising premier league football clubs.
