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To contribute to a more accessible aviation, Avianca closed 2024 with 48 aircraft equipped with the Braille system to facilitate the experience of visually impaired travelers.
This announcement was made on World Braille Day, as part of the “Avianca Accesible” program, which seeks to eliminate barriers in aviation, adapting the airline’s service to the needs of people with disabilities, making their experience easier and more comfortable, and bringing Avianca’s teams even closer to its customers.
The Braille project began in 2023 as an idea of Avianca’s maintenance team. Thus, during the second half of this year, a pilot test was conducted with the installation in six A320 aircraft covering domestic and international routes of new row markers with greater contrast and visibility of numbers for people with low vision, as well as Braille numbering for blind people.
The Braille supplies were designed in conjunction with and under the guidance of the Instituto Nacional de Ciegos (INCI) of Colombia, and were manufactured at the Centro de Mantenimiento Aeronáutico (MRO), located in Medellin, under high quality and detail protocols.
“One more aviation for everyone, that is our goal as a company and we have worked tirelessly to make it a reality and more and more travelers with disabilities can enjoy a comfortable travel experience adapted to their needs. In 2024 we will close with 48 A320 fleet aircraft equipped with Braille for visually impaired travelers, a very important milestone if we analyze the whole process involved in transforming an aircraft to make it more accessible. It is a big challenge and we are ready to continue to achieve our goal”, said Michael Swiatek, Chief Accessibility Officer of Abra, the group of which the airline is a part.
By 2025, the airline plans to complete the installation of this system in the entire A320 fleet, in addition to the inclusion of Braille signage inside the restrooms of its aircraft, covering domestic and international routes and reaching the largest possible number of travelers through this initiative. With these actions, Avianca reaffirms its commitment to lead a transformation in the airline industry towards a more inclusive and accessible travel experience for all.
