Turkish Airlines Accessibility Plan and Feedback Process
In accordance with Canada’s Accessible Transportation
Planning and Reporting Regulations and Accessible
Canada Regulations

Executive Summary
Türk Hava Yollari Anonim Ortakligi (“Turkish Airlines,” “we” or “us”) has developed an
Accessibility Plan to ensure compliance with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and theAccessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR). The plan aims toenhance accessibility at airports and on flights and provide excellent customer service for all
passengers.
Among other things, Turkish Airlines strives to improve digital accessibility and has developed its
website in accordance with Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level 2
standards.
Training for Turkish Airlines staff involves tools to understand and address the difficulties facedby persons with disabilities. The airline also actively seeks feedback through the contact
information listed below, in order to help improve accessibility through the enhancement ofservices and facilities.
Turkish Airlines’ process of procuring goods, services and facilities ensures accessibility
requirements are met, and programs and services are continuously improved based on feedback
from disability communities. Turkish Airlines will continue to improve their procurement process
to ensure accessibility for all customers.
Turkish Airlines also strives to improve transportation accessibility through feedback and works
very closely with its Ground Service Providers to improve its service quality and with its Handling
Companies to improve the service quality. Efforts are being made to improve accessibility within
airport lounges, airplanes, and other built environments. Throughout the entire process, Turkish
Airlines complies with the provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities
Regulations (ATPDR).
In conclusion, Turkish Airlines is dedicated to improving accessibility and ensuring a positive flight
experience for all passengers and welcomes any comments about its Accessibility Plan. Turkish
Airlines will continue to receive feedback and incorporate them in the Turkish Airlines Accessibility
Plan.

General
To improve accessibility for persons with disabilities, while ensuring compliance with the Accessible
Canada Act (ACA), the Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR) and
Accessible Canada Regulations (ACR), Turkish Airlines has conducted consultations and developed
this Accessibility Plan.
Its aim is to identify and remove potential barriers and prevent new barriers in the future. Anycomments about the Turkish Airlines Accessibility Plan can be shared via the contact information
provided below.
Feedback process:If anyone would like to contact Turkish Airlines to discuss Turkish Airlines Accessibility Plan
and/or any barriers that could have been encountered by passengers or employees withdisabilities, then please contact us via:
i. Title: Sales Operations Manager
ii. Phone: +1-416-260-4880
iii. Mailing Address: Turkish Airlines, 170 University Avenue, Toronto, M5H3B3 ON, Canada
iv. Email: CANADACUSTOMER@thy.com
Feedback may be provided anonymously using any of the channels above.
Alternative format for the Accessibility plan and/of feedback process:To request a copy of Turkish Airlines’ Accessibility Plan and Feedback Process in an alternate
format, please contact Turkish Airlines using any of the channels above. On request, we may
provide a copy of the Accessibility Plan and Feedback Process in print, large print, braille, oraudio format or in an electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology that is
intended to assist persons with disabilities.
We will acknowledge any feedback (other than anonymous feedback) provided to us, in thesame format as it was submitted.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Turkish Airlines strives to establish a strong benchmark for digital accessibility by addressing barriers
related to information and communication technology. We are committed to continuously enhancing
our offerings and staying up to date with technological advancements in society, particularly for
individuals with disabilities. Our efforts involve identifying and resolving obstacles present in ourwebsites, mobile applications, as well as telecommunication and computer systems utilized by bothcustomers and employees.
Actions achieved or in progress:●

Turkish Airlines’ website has been developed using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language),
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
Level 2 (Double-A compliance) in accordance with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
standards. To provide content, there are also JavaScript and jQuery functions found on Turkish
Airlines’ HTML and CSS linked website.

●

All webpages were developed and tested with the following types of software in mind:○

Screen reading software○

Voice activation software○

Screen magnification software○

Alternative methods of input, such as switches, etc.

○

Documents in various formats such as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) and Microsoft Word(.doc) can be downloaded from the Turkish Airlines website.

Print documents such as boarding passes can be downloaded as a pdf as well as accessible HTMLalternatives.
Plans to identify, remove, and prevent barriers:●

It is Turkish Airlines’ endeavour to make all its documentation accessible, and we are currently
engaged in the process of updating all information available on our website, include certain
legal documents, to ensure that it is available in an accessible format.

●

Turkish Airlines is also engaged in a web re-design project in order to identify and remediatetechnologies and features that may cause accessibility issues. As part of this project, Turkish
Airlines will work to reduce accessibility issues related to documents that include, but are notlimited to, before June 2026:●○

Adobe PDF downloadable documents,○

Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint downloadable documents,○

External video players, and○External documentation.

Following the completion of the Web re-design project, Turkish Airlines will develop Voiceoverof the website and mobile application suitable for visually impaired passengers.

●Turkish Airlines will aim to enhance customer knowledge of the services offered in alternative
formats by June 2026.

Communication, Other Than ICT
Turkish Airlines ensures that its staff members are trained to understand and address the difficulties
faced by individuals with disabilities. Staff members receive training to adapt their behaviour,
communication, and language in order to create an inclusive and accommodating environment, bothfor our employees and our passengers.
Turkish Airlines provides Video Call Centre service so that hearing impaired passengers can easily
buy their tickets and communicate with the call centre staff via video. Passengers can connect to thevideo call centre via the link on the Patient and Disabled Passengers page on the Turkish Airlines
website through online or mobile communication channels.
Steps for improvement and commitments:●

We will continue to seek feedback on:○

How Turkish Airlines can ensure that individuals with visual or hearing disabilities canaccess publicly available information about our services and facilities in an accessible
manner.

○Turkish Airlines Sunflower Lanyard service, which allows for staff members torecognize that the passenger who wears the lanyard may need more help, support, or
time in certain processes.

○

Staff experience and inputs in relation to implementation and improvement of theAccessibility Plan.

●

In order to minimize difficulties that our passengers may experience during their travels due totheir disabilities that are not visible, such as autism, dementia, anxiety disorder, speechdifficulty, reading difficulty, and vision difficulty, Turkish Airlines will implement the Sunflower
badge service at our Canadian stations, in order to help ground handling personnel and cabincrew to identify and better support those passengers may need more assistance or more timein some processes. Passengers who request such lanyard can obtain their badges free ofcharge from special counters with the Sunflower symbol at Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal
Airports, without showing any health report, and use them throughout their travels with Turkish
Airlines.

●

In order to shorten the waiting time of passengers with disabilities during the check-in process
and to complete their transactions more effortlessly and quickly, Turkish Airlines will ensurethat the passengers will be able to complete their transactions at a designated counter in the
check-in area by following the direction signs and counter-top screens specially prepared for
them.

●

By June 2026, Turkish Airlines aims to enhance staff and subcontractor awareness of theunique needs of individuals with disabilities through training in areas such as customer care.

Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
As part of the procurement process, Turkish Airlines ensures that accessibility of equipment, facilities,
and services is taken into consideration wherever possible. Turkish Airlines service agreements andprocurement contracts shall include accessibility requirements.
Steps for improvement and commitments:●

For physical and digital products, services, and facilities, include accessibility requirements
during procurement and RFP processes by June 2025.

●

Ensure that Ground Service Providers procure equipment and items that meet accessibility
requirements for people with disabilities by June 2026.

●

Consult persons with disabilities prior to investing in new purchases in order to evaluate
accessibility from the perspective of a person with a disability by June 2024.

Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
In order to provide the most comfortable travel opportunity to our passengers with disabilities and acomfortable working environment for our employees, Turkish Airlines, with its special team, follows
the needs of passengers and employees with disabilities with the feedback they collect, makes thenecessary improvements, and designs and offers them to the service of our passengers after thenecessary approval processes are completed.
Steps for improvement and commitments:●

Continue to seek feedback from disability communities and other external groups on how
Turkish Airlines can better improve on the design and delivery of programs and services forpeople with disabilities, including wheelchair services, priority check-in, security, and boarding,as well as guide dog accommodation.

●

Submit progress reports to the Canada Transport Agency according to the specified deadlines
and inform regulators when updated accessibility progress reports are issued. Progress
reports will be submitted on June 1, 2024, and June 1, 2025.

Transportation
Turkish Airlines ensures that it meets all the requirements under the ATPDR that delineates certain
responsibilities for large air carriers when facilitating the transportation of passengers within andbetween different airport areas.

Turkish Airlines also provides a wide variety of accessible communications and interactions with its
customers:for hearing impaired passengers to fully understand the information described in the inflightsafety movie, a sign language translated version is available.



Visually impaired and hearing-impaired passengers can enjoy a pleasant journey by using
the in-flight entertainment system during their flights.

In order for hearing impaired passengers to understand the announcements made during theflight, work is underway to reflect the announcements on IFE screens.

Free wheelchair service is offered to passengers who submit their wheelchair request atleast 48 hours before the flight and whose request is approved. Passengers can submit theirrequests via the Call Center, the website, or authorized sales offices.



After the check-in procedures are completed, the necessary equipment and personnel of the
Health Services organization are sent to the passenger's location Passengers and theirbelongings will be transferred by healthcare provider personnel from terminal building
entrance to check-in counters; from the check-in counters to their destination planes; fromtheir arrival plane to their departure planes; from apron entrance gates to the departureplanes; and from domestic and international arrival planes to the customs exit points. It isprovided with appropriate equipment such as combi lift, wheelchair, and physical support

In addition to the services already offered during the flight, Turkish Airlines promises that it willcontinue to improve its services in the future with its continuous research and observation structure.
Steps for improvement and commitments:●

Examine how Turkish Airlines can ensure that ground transportation for passengers withdisabilities is able to accommodate their specific needs.

●

Continue to seek feedback on transportation services offered by Turkish Airlines forpassengers with disabilities.
○●

Receival of feedback will be ongoing for the remainder of the Turkish Airlines
Accessibility Plan

Target completion: June 2025

The Built Environment
Turkish Airlines aims to maximize the comfort of our passengers in the terminal buildings thatwill be used by our passengers with disabilities during their travel, by continuously working incoordination with the common stakeholders with whom it operates.
Turkish Airlines ensures that all of its aircraft meet the technical requirements under the ATDPR:

All of its wide-body aircraft (B777/B787/A330/A350) are equipped with in-flight wheelchairs toenable passengers with disabilities to transfer between their seats and lavatories during theflight.
All of the Turkish Airlines airplanes have movable armrests to enable passengers withdisabilities to transfer be-tween their seats.



All of its wide-body and davit aircraft are equipped with grab bars for passengers withdisabilities to receive support while using the restroom.

All of the Turkish Airlines’ large and wide body aircraft have grab bars so thatpassengers with disabilities can get support while using toilets.

Steps for improvement and commitments:●

Continue to seek feedback from disability communities and other external groups on how
Turkish Airlines can improve accessibility within its offices, lounges, aircraft, and other built
environments●

Continue to actively collaborate with airport building and walkway managers to participate in
improvement projects that aim to enhance the mobility of individuals with disabilities by June
2026.

Employment
As of January 1, 2024, Turkish Airlines had (# of employees), with 31 employees based in Canada
across 3 offices.
Turkish Airlines is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment.
Turkish Airlines strives to create a safe and healthy workplace that values and respects its
employees. We communicate to all of our employees about our commitment to providing a
respectful workplace and appropriate accommodations. We strive to make accessibility afundamental part of the employment experience.
Steps for improvement and commitments:

Establish a team that supports accommodation requests across its offices in different
locations. This includes job applicants, candidates, and employees at all stages of theiremployment journey.

Continue to identify barriers that need enhancement in workplace accommodation
processes.

Continue to provide training and awareness on the Employee Accommodation Policy andProcess to managers across Canada to promote a better understanding of their role in theaccommodation process.

Develop workplace accommodation training for all staff, and evaluate methods to provide
accessible training in multiple training types and formats.

Provisions of CTA Accessibility-Related Regulations
Turkish Airlines, as a major carrier operating under the regulations of the Canadian Transportation
Agency, is required to comply with all the relevant provisions of the Accessible Transportation for
Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/2019-244) in parts 1, 2, 3, and 7 that are applicable toTurkish Airlines.

Consultations
Turkish Airlines designs and provides our services in accordance with the Turkish Civil Aviation
Accesibility document published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, which secures therights of disabled and disabled passengers In addition, in order to improve the travel experienceof disabled passengers, and to develop this first Accessibility Plan, Turkish Airlines commissioned
an Accessibility Working Group made up of staff from various departments, including forwardlooking operations staff and customer relations specialists. This Accessibility Working Groupinitially evaluated all information collected through customer and employee feedback. The advice
and feedback received by Turkish Airlines pursuant to the consultations with the Accessibility
Working Group were taken into consideration when developing our accessibility policies.
The approach of the Accessibility Working Group consists of the following:-

Review and assessment of customers' feedback on existing barriers Accessibility-Counseling sessions and individual interviews with self-identified persons as individuals
with disabilities-

Industry-wide benchmarking and interaction with other market players representative
offices (IATA, Airlines, etc.)-

Engage with existing employee resource group of employees’ people who identify
themselves as disabled and have experience of accessibility barriers; and experienced
employees in the field of accessibility-

Communicate with the organizations and associations representing our passengers withdisabilities and to guide and contribute to the development of our disabled services with theirrecommendations.

Turkish Airlines is also engaged in ongoing consultations with the Physically Disabled Solidarity
Association and the Turkish Spinal Code Paralyzed Association, to review our service offeringand better understand how persons with disabilities experience our services. The scope of these
consultations includes a review of and built environment and identify and address any barriers
experienced by them, including remote and in-person interactions with customer support staff,

ease of navigation during the check-in and boarding process and in-flight experience. We will
provide an update on these consultations as part of our annual progress reports, and therecommendations provided by these organizations will be taken into consideration in order toimprove our systems, products, and services to address any barriers faced by guests withdisabilities.
Since 2023, in order to improve our accessibility activities at the airline, Turkish Ailines has also
been actively seeking feedback from our passengers who have become members of associations
from different disability groups (orthopedic, hearing, vision, autism) under the coordination of the“Çizgi Advertising, Research and Consultancy company”. The results of this process are thenprovided to our Customer Experience Executive Board in order to implement improvements inpassenger expeience and mobility.
In addition to the above, Turkish Airlines is proud to participate in the Turkish Ministry of Transport andInfrastructure’s Accessible Transportation Strategy and Action Plan (2021-2025) meetings. The
participating stakeholders meet periodically to discuss the current status and ongoing developmentsof accessibility within the overall Turkish transportation sector, including specifically our role in theaviation sector. We plan to implement our Sunflower Badge Project, which was implemented as theoutcome of this meeting, at our Canadian Stations.