Toronto Pearson first airport in Canada to offer innovative technology to improve accessibility for travellers with sight loss

Aira, a mobile phone app, provides assistive services to passengers who are blind or low vision

TORONTO, July 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Toronto Pearson  announced it is now offering Aira service, a leading-edge assistive technology, to help travellers with sight loss navigate the airport independently. Using the Aira iPhone or Android mobile phone application, passengers can connect to a specially trained, human agent for navigational assistance as they journey through the airport. Toronto Pearson is the first airport in Canada to offer Aira to its passengers.

"At Toronto Pearson, we have a vision to be the best airport in the world, and this starts with ensuring that our passengers—all of our passengers—are able to navigate the airport independently," says Kurush Minocher, Associate Director, Passenger Development, at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). "We are proud to bring Aira's easy-to-use service to Toronto Pearson. Passengers with sight loss now have more choice in how they travel through the airport, from curb to gate."

Aira works via a smartphone or optional Aira Horizon video-equipped smart glasses, connecting passengers with sight loss to remotely located Aira agents. Through the smart glasses or phone camera, Aira's trained professionals provide on-demand, personalized access to visual information to help passengers navigate the airport. Aira service is available in both Terminals 1 and 3 and within Toronto Pearson parking facilities.

"The CNIB Foundation has been working in close consultation with the GTAA to identify ways to improve the travel experience for passengers with sight loss at Canada's largest airport," says Shane Silver, Vice-President, Social Enterprise & Innovation, Canadian National Institute for the Blind. "This announcement is a positive step on the journey to improving airport accessibility for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. We commend the GTAA for its ongoing commitment to inclusivity."

Aira is a subscription service, but passengers with sight loss will be able to use Aira technology for free at Toronto Pearson; all that is required is a smartphone and the Aira application, which can be downloaded for free from Google Play or the Apple App Store (data charges may apply).

"Aira's mission is to make information instantly accessible, anytime, anywhere," says Suman Kanuganti, President and Founder of Aira. "We're excited to welcome Toronto Pearson as our first Aira Airport Access Partner in Canada."

For instructions on how to use Aira at Toronto Pearson, please visit www.torontopearson.com/aira.

To learn more about Aira, please visit www.aira.io.

About the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport. For the second straight year Toronto Pearson has been voted by passengers as the Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million annual passengers, as recognized by Airports Council International's (ACI) Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, the only global benchmarking survey that assesses passenger satisfaction at the airport on their day of travel.

Toronto Pearson served more than 49.5 million passengers in 2018, making it Canada's busiest airport. With 163 international routes, Toronto Pearson is also North America's most internationally connected airport.

SOURCE Greater Toronto Airports Authority

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