In response to media enquiries about an incident in May 2024 involving two passengers with visual impairment, who were asked to disembark from the airplane of an airline after boarding and before the plane took off, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) today (7 July 2024) has made the following response:

1. The EOC will not comment on individual cases. If members of the public believe that they have been discriminated against when using air travel services, they can lodge a complaint with the EOC.
    
2. As a statutory body tasked with implementing the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO) and other anti-discrimination ordinances, the EOC holds great concern about the wellbeing of people with disabilities (PWDs) and the obstacles they faced in daily life. The DDO renders acts of discrimination against a person on the ground of that person's disability unlawful in prescribed areas of activities. The ordinance protects PWDs from discrimination in accessing goods and services and in using facilities, including the use of air travel services. To help persons with reduced mobility and disabilities understand their rights and obligations in using air travel services, the EOC issued the “Easy-to-Read Guide for Accessible Air Travel in Hong Kong” in 2017. As stated in the Guide, airline operators should not refuse to accept a reservation for a flight or to embark passengers with a valid ticket on the grounds of their disabilities or reduced mobility, except for valid operational or safety reasons.
    
3. In addition, the Civil Aviation Department released the “Guidance for Airline Operators in Hong Kong: Facilitation of Persons with Reduced Mobility in Air Travel” in 2015, which provides reference to air operators.

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Equal Opportunities Commission
7 July 2024