AER Rianta is to hold an open day at Dublin Airport for disabled people to identify the problems they have using facilities there. This follows a meeting between the authority and the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities.
An Aer Rianta spokesman warned, however, that major refurbishment work at Dublin Airport would mean that in the short term conditions for the disabled will not be ideal.
The longest walk for passengers is to Pier A, which is used principally by Ryanair. A travelator has been built to Pier A but the spokesman said some people dislike it, just as some people dislike lifts.
A users' panel is to be set up at Dublin Airport to identify problems for the disabled. The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities will meet Aer Rianta's architects.
Aer Rianta does not intend to restore the buggy service it used to have for people with walking difficulties, the spokesman said. A new company, Green Caps, set up by an unemployed group in Ballymun, will aid those who cannot walk long distances.
Mr Justice Fergus Flood, chairman of the Commission, welcomed yesterday's launch in Brussels of the Citizens' Network campaign by the EU Commissioner for Transport, Mr Neil Kinnock. He hoped people with disabilities would become involved in the campaign which sought to encourage the development of safe, flexible and accessible public transport.
"About 80 million people in the EU have difficulties with mobility, of whom some 50 million are disabled," said Mr Justice Flood. Mr Kinnock's Green Paper aims to prompt a debate about public passenger transport in Europe.