The INCLAVI aviation industry project, which started in September, aims to address the faults of the industry, and improve the free movement of people with disabilities and reduced mobility.
The Inclusive Aviation project (INCLAVI), which started in September 2022, aims to address the inconsistencies in the training of current and future aviation professionals, that relate to competences and skills necessary to enable smooth journeys for all air travelers, no matter what their special conditions or disabilities may be.
The project was born from need. It is funded by the European Commission and supports the EU Commission’s strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2023, which aims to ensure the full social and economic inclusion of disabled people on an equal basis with others and the opportunity to move freely in the EU regardless of their support needs.
According to Haaga-Helia's project manager Namrata Sethi, who is responsible for managing the project, change doesn't happen overnight.
The creation of accessible airports will require thousands of hours of hard work and close cooperation between the global key players such as airlines, consultants, and universities.
The task is not easy, but Sethi has full trust in her partners in the project.
In addition to the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, the project’s consortium includes the Dutch Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Turkish universities of Özyeğ and Yasari, the European Network for Accessible Tourism ASBL, International Air Transport Association IATA, the Finnish Careeria and Iga Havalimani Isletmesi Anonim Sirketi.
Sethi believes that the needs of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility should be addressed at every stage of their journey because that’s the only way to create a successful customer experience.
- We want to set a high bar that serves as an example and standard of quality for other actors in this field, so that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons is taken better into account in the aviation industry, she states.
The main goal of the project is to develop a curriculum and training materials for the personnel of aviation stakeholders to ensure their knowledge, competences, and skills necessary in the service of passengers with disabilities. The comprehensive curriculum will cover all stages of the door-to-door passenger journey, as well as all types of disabilities types and special needs.
The project aims at piloting selected curriculum modules with several thousand learners across several occupational groups in the aviation industry as well as aviation and tourism students already within the next three years.
INCLAVI is funded by the Erasmus + Programme and will be implemented in the years 2022–2025. The associated partners of the project are Finavia Oyj, AirBaltic Corporation, Agency Services Office – Scandinavia (IATA), Canada Filial (IATA NB), and the Finnish Tourism Association.
The curriculum and the training materials will be offered to learners online and via a mobile app and will be compatible with micro-credentials in academic institutions as well as continuous professional development programmes in aviation organisations.
INCLAVI curriculum will also be validated by a quality certification process and will be available to its learners for free. In the long term, INCLAVI will contribute to making air travel safe, comfortable, and dignified for everybody, and create a reliable basis for further RDI projects, with a larger focus on other transport modes and more global coverage.
You can find more information about the Inclusive Aviation project by contacting our project manager Namrata Sethi or by visiting Haaga-Helia's website at:
https://www.haaga-helia.fi/fi/hankkeet/inclavi-inclusive-aviation
