ARGENTINA. London Supply Group has expanded El Calafate International Airport’s accessibility offering with a sensory room, nursing suite and digital indoor mapping technology, designed to enhance the passenger experience and promote greater accessibility.
The developments form part of the ‘London Accessible (Your visit, our commitment)’ framework, a key element of the group’s wider programme to advance inclusion across its business units, including regional airport terminals and retail operations.
The approach combines infrastructure upgrades, digital technology, specialised staff training and ongoing support frameworks.
Supporting neurodivergent travellers
A key addition is the Sensory Room in the departures lounge, providing a dedicated space for passengers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory hypersensitivity and other neurodivergent conditions.
The room provides a quiet environment designed to minimise visual and auditory overstimulation during pre-flight waiting periods, helping to reduce potential anxiety or discomfort. Passengers may stay in the room with a companion until boarding.
Travellers or their companions can request access at check-in and receive an identification badge to help staff provide priority assistance throughout the airport.
The project was developed in collaboration with local NGO Mundo Mágico TEA, which conducted specialised training for airport and service providers to identify and respond to passengers’ specific needs.
The facility adds to London Supply Group’s existing Sensory Room at Trelew Airport, with a third planned for Ushuaia International Airport.
Private spaces for nursing passengers
Designed for travelling families and airport staff, the new Nursing Suite provides a private space for breastfeeding and milk expression in the departures area.
The room provides a safe, comfortable and well-equipped space for infant care.
The suite forms part of London Supply Group’s employee care policy, which also provides expectant employees with consultations from childcare and lactation specialist Paola de los Santos.
AI-powered wayfinding
Offering digital wayfinding support, the airport has integrated GoodMaps, an AI-assisted platform that guides passengers through the terminal.
London Supply Group said El Calafate, Trelew and Ushuaia are the first airports in Argentina to deploy the technology, which is available through Android and iOS devices and uses precise location data for indoor navigation.
The tool supports accessible navigation with real-time audio directions for blind and visually impaired passengers and step-free route planning for those travelling with mobility aids or strollers.
Advancing accessibility across the airport journey
The latest initiatives reinforce El Calafate International Airport’s focus on passenger services, with accessibility measures aligned with international airport and travel retail standards.
London Supply Group Sustainability and Strategic Communication Director María Taratuty said, “We work continuously to ensure that every single one of our facilities reflects our commitment to inclusion – transforming infrastructure, services and customer care into tangible tools that guarantee well-being, autonomy and comfort for every traveller.”
The group’s accessibility measures also extend to travel retail, with sensory kits recently rolled out at Duty Free Shop Puerto Iguazú for neurodivergent shoppers. ✈
AIRPORT INCLUSIVITY WORLDThis story forms part of our Airport Inclusivity World coverage, the latest addition to our diverse, market-leading travel retail and airport non-aeronautical revenues content. Airport Inclusivity World embraces a wide array of key subjects including airport Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Mobility. With the World Health Organization estimating that 1.3 billion people – about one in six worldwide – experience significant disability, we see this subject as a key element in our world-leading passenger experience content.
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