Airside speaks with Konrad Gruber, head of sales at Bulmor Airground Technologies, about how the company’s SideBull is leading the ambulift market
Can you tell Airside about Bulmor Airground Technologies and the solutions you provide for the ground handling sector?
Bulmor Airground Technologies is an Austrian producer of ambulift vehicles, designed to facilitate the transport of PRM and people with special needs. The SideBull was developed to ensure short turnaround times as well as comfortable boarding and disembarking for air passengers.
The SideBull is in the meantime used at seven of the 10 busiest airports in Europe. Bulmor Airground Technologies is part of the BULMOR group, an internationally operating premium manufacturer of high-end lifting machinery with production based in Upper Austria.
What makes the company and its solutions unique?
The unique, patented SideBull concept, a lift vehicle based on a side loader chassis, was developed in collaboration with Lufthansa LEOS and was later adapted to the specific requirements of PRM handling.
The SideBull ambulift sets new standards in PRM assistance and has been used successfully for years at numerous international hubs.
The SideBull offers safe and comfortable boarding. The passenger cabin can be fully lowered to ground level alongside the chassis. This speeds up the entire boarding procedure for a group of PRMs.
It is no longer necessary to repeatedly raise or lower a tail lift platform as in conventional scissor lift trucks. The design of the vehicle ensures quick handling during peak times, to meet the short turnaround requirements by many airlines.
Stabilisers are made unnecessary due to a rugged chassis. This saves valuable time and makes the docking procedure easier for the operator. The driver’s stand is integrated into the passenger cabin of the SideBull, so there is no spatial separation between the driver and the passengers. Therefore, the driver is not forced to inconveniently switch between cabins.
Since the SideBull does not have a separate driver’s cabin, it is shorter than conventional scissor lift vehicles. The side loader steering system enables a steering angle of almost 90°.
The vehicle can almost fully rotate around its rear axle and needs only half the turning radius of ordinary scissor lift trucks.
The SideBull needs less space, is more agile and therefore easier to manoeuvre when space is limited. Lifting operations are possible up to 8m to the A380 UD [upper deck], thus making it the only ambulift to reach the upper deck.
How do you assess the GSE market today?
The ground support equipment market today is experiencing steady growth, driven by increasing air travel demand, airport infrastructure expansion and a rising emphasis on operational efficiency and sustainability.
With the global aviation sector rebounding post-pandemic, airlines and airport operators are investing in modern, electric and automated GSE to reduce carbon emissions and improve turnaround times.
What are the key market drivers you identify today – and how is Bulmor reacting to these?
Overall, the GSE market is transitioning toward smarter, greener and more integrated solutions to meet the evolving demands of the aviation industry. Bulmor’s E-SideBull is fully electric, thus offering an ideal solution for airports looking to reduce the CO2 emissions of their GSE fleet.
Do you have any upcoming expansion plans, and if so, can you share these with Airside?
We are continuously expanding our markets, meeting with airports in the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific, as those regions are also continuously improving their activities in assisted travel. In addition, we see a growing demand from airports and service providers to switch their existing fleet from diesel to electric.
Do you have plans to launch other types of GSE?
Currently we have decided to stay within the field of ambulifts/medical high loaders as our lifting technology is most suitable for this use case. We perpetually work on the enhancement of our designs, to improve the usability for passengers as well as operators.
