Virgin Australia moves to ‘take accessibility seriously’

In a recent video update, Hryhorec said there is “clearly a lot of work that needs to be done to make flying truly inclusive for people with disabilities”, but that Virgin had “acknowledged that they got this wrong”.

“I think for any organisation to do better, it first of all has to learn from mistakes and acknowledge them, and find ways to then do better,” he said.

“Virgin Australia have taken this seriously and will be engaging with an external disability training organisation to review each touchpoint for the airline. This will include looking at the passenger journey, policies and procedures, and how their team interact and support people with disabilities.

“Virgin Australia has recently established an accessibility advisory panel. I think having people with disabilities involved in these discussions is incredibly important.

“I will also be engaging with Virgin Australia over the coming months. I will be volunteering my time and sharing my lived experience to help the organisation any way I can, with the hope that this leads to a better flying experience for people with disabilities in the future.”

VIEW ALL

>

While Hryhorec has been in discussions with the Human Rights Commission over the incident, he said he has asked for the complaint to be put on hold for the next six months while he works with Virgin directly.

“There is nothing I want more than to see flying for people with disabilities improve, not just in Australia, but all around the world,” he said.

“There is nothing stopping an airline like Virgin Australia becoming one of the most inclusive airlines in the entire world.

“Hopefully, this is the beginning of meaningful change for people with disabilities flying around Australia.”

The federal government earlier this year released a consultation paper on draft aviation disability standards, building on a commitment from the 2024 Aviation White Paper.

“For too many Australians, air travel can still be harder than it should be. That might mean uncertainty at booking, inconsistent support at the airport, or difficulty travelling with mobility aids and other essential equipment,” Transport Minister Catherine King told delegates at the 2026 Australian Aviation Summit.

“That is why the government is working to improve accessibility across aviation – because every passenger should be able to travel with dignity, confidence and clear information.

“The consultation paper, which we are releasing today, has been shaped through a number of co-design workshops held last year with people with disability and consultation with the aviation industry.

“Drawing on solutions developed by people with disability, the Australian government has developed a set of draft options for standards to improve accessibility and your experience travelling with disability – from booking a flight to navigating the terminal, to the journey itself.”

Feedback on the draft standards closed on 2 October.