AccessAbilities Expo 2024

Travel Planner is a visual guide that demonstrates the travel journey for guests, specifically for those with hidden disabilities. This guide enables guests to enhance their journey through the airport.

This guide will help clarify a trip to the airport for people who may find travelling difficult. You will find information of the different steps of airport travel, and useful information on each touchpoint.

Travel planner

Guests with autism can wear a discrete lanyard provided by Dubai Airports so that employees can easily identify them, and respond appropriately or provide additional support.

The lanyards permit access to the family and priority lanes at all guest-processing touchpoints both at departures and arrivals. The travel experience can be significantly enhanced by providing additional information to guests with autism prior to travel.

You can collect your sunflower lanyard at any of our terminals at DXB and DWC.

Hidden disabilities

At Dubai Airports, accessibility is integrated into every stage of the guest journey. Our People of Determination Journey Map highlights the comprehensive range of products and services available to guests with visible and hidden disabilities at each key touchpoint throughout the airport. From the kerb all the way to the boarding gate, this map outlines how we support your travel experience with dedicated services made possible through key collaboration across the airport ecosystem.

At each touchpoint—whether it’s parking, check-in, security, or boarding—the Journey Map showcases specific services designed to meet a variety of accessibility needs. These include wheelchair assistance, accessible parking, sensory rooms, assistive technologies such as the hearing loop, and personalised support for guests with hidden disabilities. The map also highlights the service partners we collaborate with such as the Community Development Authority, Dubai Autism Center, government entities, airport ground operators and airlines, alongside other accessibility specialists who play a crucial role in delivering and enhancing these services.

This map reflects how our dedicated staff, trained in partnership with expert organisations, are prepared to provide the highest level of care and support for guests with disabilities.

Displayed prominently, the Journey Map serves as a guide to help you understand how Dubai Airports ensures a smooth, accessible journey, supported by a network of expert partners at every step.

The Assisted Travel Lounge at DXB Terminal 2 departures is our first dedicated space for people of determination and travellers with hidden disabilities to enhance accessible travel.

Designed to provide comfort and support, the lounge offers wheelchair-friendly areas, noise-reducing seating, and a decompression zone for those with autism. With calming lighting, tactile materials, and a dedicated space for unaccompanied minors, this lounge ensures a peaceful experience within the bustling airport. It’s a key part of our commitment to accessible travel, helping every guest feel safe and at ease throughout their journey.

At Dubai Airports, we believe that travel should be smooth and enjoyable for everyone, including for our guests with autism. To achieve this, we’ve developed the Travel Safari programme, specifically designed to help children with autism and their carers feel more comfortable and prepared for air travel.

Travel Safari offers an immersive, end-to-end journey through the airport, enabling participants to experience every key moment—from parking and check-in to boarding and disembarking. Accompanied by carers and autism experts, these children progress through each airport touchpoint at their own pace, helping them to become familiar with the journey and reducing anxiety before their actual trip.

Throughout this experience, we gather valuable feedback from participants and specialists to continually refine our services, ensuring we meet the unique needs of our guests. By taking this hands-on approach, we are able to create a welcoming, calm, and accessible environment for all guests, helping children with autism—and their families—travel with greater ease and confidence.

Effective communication is essential for a stress-free travel experience, and we are committed to ensuring that all our guests—especially those with hearing impairment—feel confident and supported throughout their journey.

Our hearing loop systems are progressively being installed at over 500 guest-facing points across the airport, including check-in counters, boarding gates, security checkpoints, and information desks. These systems assist guests with partial hearing impairment by reducing background noise and amplifying sound, making interactions with our staff clearer and more comfortable. Whether you are asking a question at an information desk or navigating passport control, the hearing loop system ensures you can communicate easily and independently.

For guests with complete hearing impairment, we have introduced the Sanad Relay application, in collaboration with the Community Development Authority. This state-of-the-art solution allows our teams to communicate with guests via real-time video calls using sign language. This technology ensures smooth interactions, whether you are going through security or seeking assistance at passport control. With the application, you can be assured that our team is equipped to provide personalised assistance tailored to your needs.