Aviation equipment manufacturer Aviramp has launched a new industry survey in the United States amid growing concerns over whether airport ground support equipment marketed as compliant with safety standards is being independently verified.
The move comes as US airports are expected to invest more than $150bn (£113bn) in capital projects between 2023 and 2027, prompting renewed debate over procurement practices and long-term equipment reliability.
Aviramp, which exports around 40% of its step-free boarding ramps to the US market, unveiled the survey during the Annual AAAE Conference and Exposition in Los Angeles.
The company said the research would examine awareness of compliance standards among airport operators and ground handling firms, as well as maintenance costs, equipment lifespan and total cost of ownership.
According to Mark Burton, the issue is not with aviation safety standards themselves but with how compliance is assessed during procurement processes.
“We’ve done detailed comparative work, and the US standards and the international benchmarks are saying essentially the same thing,” he said.
“The gap isn’t in what the standards require. It’s in whether the equipment being supplied actually meets them — and right now, there’s very little in the procurement process which looks closely at that.”
The company says US procurement systems often reference Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) designations, while much of the international aviation sector operates under standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Aviramp argues that although the standards align closely, confusion over terminology and certification requirements can create challenges for procurement teams working under tight financial and operational pressures.
Its 913 Series boarding ramp has been independently tested to the IATA AHM 913 standard, which the company says corresponds directly with FAA and ARP requirements commonly cited in US tenders.
Mr Burton warned that self-certified compliance claims were not always subjected to rigorous independent testing.
“Self-declared compliance and independently verified compliance are not the same thing,” he said.
“In most procurement processes, that distinction never comes up.”
The company argues that the financial impact of lower-cost equipment choices may only become clear several years after purchase through higher maintenance costs, operational downtime and reduced residual value.
Wayne Lawrence said procurement departments often focused heavily on initial purchase price rather than long-term operating costs.
“When you factor in maintenance frequency, operational downtime and residual value over the life of the equipment, the economics of a procurement decision can look very different from what the original spreadsheet suggested,” he said.
Aviramp says the survey aims to gather operational data directly from airlines, airports and ground handlers to better understand how equipment performs over time.
Lee Burrows, who attended the Los Angeles conference, said the company hoped the findings would encourage broader discussion around procurement standards in the US aviation sector.
“The US aviation industry has rigorous standards and they exist for good reasons — passenger safety, aircraft protection, operational reliability,” he said.
“The question worth asking is whether the current procurement process is doing enough to ensure those standards are genuinely met, rather than simply cited.”
