A Paralympic swimmer due to compete in this summer’s Games has said his career is at risk after a post-Brexit policy change barred him from flying in and out of the UK with his guide dog.
Mar Gunnarsson, a visually impaired Icelandic national studying in Manchester, has been unable to fly to sporting championships to represent his country because his guide dog is not recognised as an assistance animal by the UK authorities.
The Guardian reported that travellers with disabilities are banned from boarding flights to and from the UK with an assistance dog if the organisation which trained them is not recognised by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The report added that since Brexit they are also denied boarding unless they obtain an animal health certificate from a vet for each trip to the EU. The certificates, which replace the European pet passport, can cost up to £200.
Mar, who is also a musician, travels regularly for performances and sporting events, but said he has been grounded since February after the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) tightened its rules governing assistance dogs.
The new requirements, based on a memorandum of understanding between the Animal and Plant Health Agency, part of Defra, and UK and EU airlines, restrict cabin access to dogs trained by member organisations of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) and Assistance Dogs International (ADI).
Mar’s dog, Max, is owned by the National Institute for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Deafblind in Iceland, the animals of which are trained by an official Swedish organisation which is not signed up to either association.
The Guardian said it was told by an airline insider that the restrictions are having a massive impact on passengers and have triggered hundreds of complaints.
Mar told The Guardian: “Max has a signed certificate confirming his status from the Icelandic government, but the UK government disregards this.
“This blatant discrimination is more disabling than blindness. I have reached my limit with sighted individuals in powerful positions throwing obstacles in the path of blind people striving for independence. Max is my eyes and has made my life significantly easier by guiding me through various challenging situations. I refuse to trade him for any randomly assigned guide dog with a bureaucratic stamp from an office in Reading.”
Mar now has to take a train to mainland Europe to catch a connecting service or flight in order to travel with Max.
It added that the CAA has been reviewing its new policy after lobbying by from airlines but an announcement has been delayed due to the election.
The Guardian said the European standardisation body, CEN, is working with disability groups on an international training standard which could be voluntarily adopted by any country. However, this could take years to implement.
