Disabled air passengers in the European Union will have the right to free assistance in airports and on planes if they give notice of their needs in advance under new rules agreed by EU ministers yesterday.

The draft laws, proposed by the European Commission in February, are meant to ban discrimination of handicapped people in air travel. They will require the approval of the European Parliament.

The laws would bar airlines from denying boarding on the grounds of a disability, except for safety reasons or if the aircraft is too small or otherwise physically unable to accommodate the passengers' needs.

In such cases, the passenger must be able to book another flight free of charge or be reimbursed for the original ticket.

The ministers agreed airport managers should have the task of providing help to people with "reduced mobility" within the airport itself, though they have the option of getting money back from airlines on a proportionate level to the number of passengers each airline serves at that facility.

Airports can contract the services out or provide them themselves, the rules say. If passengers do not warn in advance that they need such assistance, airports are still required to make their "best efforts".