Belfast City Airport’s ‘Autism in the Air’ event gave opportunity for autistic people to experience the airport

Credit: Belfast City Airport

Belfast City Airport (BHD) hosted a special event, ‘Autism in the Air’, in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast. ‘Autism in the Air’, brought 17 children with autism and their families the opportunity to experience the full airport journey along with a flight across Belfast.

Michelle Hatfield, Chief People and Marketing Officer, at Belfast City Airport, said: “As an airport in the heart of the city and at the heart of the community, we are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all our passengers. Through this unique programme, now in its tenth year, we hope to make flying a more positive experience for children with autism, giving families the opportunity to enjoy travelling together.”

Why and how did they host Autism in the Air?

The initiative helps children become familiar with the airport environment, making future travel more accessible and stress-free.

The session, which was the first of its kind, showed families all aspects of the airport journey, including check-in, security, take off, and landing, designed to help children build confidence in a calm and supportive setting.

Dr Nichola Booth, Senior Lecturer in Behaviour Analysis at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “It has been great working with Belfast City Airport on this incredibly important initiative for the past ten years.

“Our goal is to make sure that every child has the chance to explore new opportunities in a way that is comfortable for them, and this event has provided an excellent platform for achieving just that.”

The flight was facilitated by Emerald Airlines, an exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional services.

John Dillon, Head of Ground Operations at Emerald Airlines said: “We are delighted to have been part of the ‘Autism in the Air’ initiative, supporting Belfast City Airport in creating such a meaningful and inclusive experience. It’s been a great to work alongside the airport and Queen’s University Belfast to help make air travel more accessible for children with autism and their families.”

To find out more about Autism in the Air, please visit: belfastcityairport.com