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(Bloomberg) -- US airlines must install restrooms accessible to people with disabilities on the most-popular single-aisle jetliners under a new rule adopted on the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Department of Transportation, responding to growing complaints by advocates, announced the regulation on Wednesday. 

“Traveling can be stressful enough without worrying about being able to access a restroom. Yet today, millions of wheelchair users are forced to choose between dehydrating themselves before boarding a plane or avoiding air travel altogether,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.

Widebody jets used on long-range flights already have such a requirement, but single-aisle jets such as Boeing Co.’s 737s and Airbus SE’s A320 family are increasingly flying for many hours, including on international routes, the DOT said. 

The requirement will be phased in over several years under the final rule. Newly built airliners with more than 125 seats must have lavatories large enough to accommodate people in wheelchairs after three years. Carriers will not have to retrofit accessible lavatories onto existing aircraft until restrooms are replaced. 

The rule also sets minimum requirements for specialized wheelchairs designed for maneuvering people aboard aircraft.