The global increase in the number of passengers with disabilities in the aviation market raises the need for airlines to offer an inclusive service to these groups, which can represent a differentiation in the market. This paper is part 1 of a two-part series where it was proposed to apply a methodology inspired on Design Thinking, with tools such as persona mapping and user’s journey to define requirements and propose a concept for an accessible cabin. In this part, bibliographic research, with study of other papers that investigated the aviation market and mapped the complaints and needs of users with disabilities were initially carried out. The result of these researches served as the basis for the application of the methodology and definition of needs and requirements for an accessible cabin concept. It was concluded with this work that it is crucial to consider the needs of all stakeholders involved in the system for the good definition of the needs, that is, users, manufacturers, and airlines, since modifications to the cabin can affect important parameters such as cost and weight, and must be made to address points that can really improve the user experience. It was noted that research is limited for passengers with sensory impairments making it harder to clearly define their needs. Passengers with mobility restrictions, on the other hand, are better represented in research. Finally, the proposed list of needs demonstrates the potential to enhance the flight experience for passengers with special needs, potentially increasing their market share and overall satisfaction.

Despite a global increase in the number of passengers with disabilities on regional aviation, most aircraft cabins are still not adequately equipped to provide sufficient comfort to this public, making the travel experience much less attractive. In order to investigate how airlines and aircraft manufacturers could improve the cabin’s accessibility, this study aims to investigate solutions and systems available in the market to propose an accessible cabin concept for regional aviation. This research is part 2 of a two-part series that aims to apply a methodology inspired by Design Thinking Tools such as persona mapping to suggest improvements for the experience of passengers with disabilities. To this end, potential systems were evaluated and a cabin concept was proposed. It was noted that for passengers with sensory impairments, it is possible to improve their experience without major cabin modifications. However, research on their needs is limited and there are few solutions on the market targeting this audience. Conversely, passengers with mobility restrictions pose more complex challenges. Finally, the proposed accessible cabin concept demonstrates the potential to enhance the flight experience for passengers with special needs, potentially increasing their market share and overall satisfaction.

OLIVIA (OperationaL Intentions adVIser for Aviation) was developed in the HAIKU project. It is a flight deck tool providing support to mission-level decisions in complex situations by assessing and prioritizing route options according to operational intentions. It uses Artificial Intelligence to translate (1) operational intentions from pilots to route generation and optimization inputs and (2) route proposal KPIs into operational intention assessments. This paper reports on the final development of OLIVIA, the results from the human-in-the-loop experiments, and insights and recommendations regarding the development of similar assistants for the flight deck.