Award-winning step-free ramp manufacturer Aviramp has a new product which is transforming the aviation experience for passengers with reduced mobility. The Aviramp ChairLifter offers safe and simple loading for multiple electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters – vastly reducing the risk of damage. Chief executive Graham Corfield explains more.
Can you tell Airside about the ChairLifter?
The Aviramp ChairLifter is our latest innovation and we think it marks a major step forward in improving passenger accessibility.
The ChairLifter is a new solar-powered lift for electric mobility aids (EMAs) such as mobility scooters, which will dramatically cut the number of wheelchairs and scooters being damaged in transit and removes the need for staff to manually lift the heavy items onto aircraft.
It has a specially-designed hydraulic platform so that EMAs can be wheeled onto it at ground level and lifted onto the belt loader, or directly onto some aircraft types for departure. They can then be wheeled off in the same way on arrival, removing the need for most manual handling.
The lift raises and lowers to any height and comes equipped with two side-ramps and a rear ramp to make moving EMAs on and off aircraft straightforward.
It can be operated by one person with just 15 minutes of training, has a capacity of up to 1,000kg and we believe it’s a natural extension of our mission to make aviation more inclusive, more efficient and more dignified.
Because of its ease of use, it’s already speeding up turnaround times and it boasts comprehensive compatibility with most ultra narrow body aircraft and belt loaders.
What was the inspiration behind the ChairLifter?
The inspiration came from listening – and I mean really listening – to passengers, ground handlers and airport operators.
For years, we’ve known that far too many mobility aids are being broken or damaged in flight, causing real anxiety for passengers who already feel vulnerable when flying.
Alongside that, we know that too many ground handlers and airport staff are being injured carrying heavy and bulky mobility aids. The ChairLifter is designed to help reduce both.
There’s no need for any manual lifting; the system is scalable so that multiple units can be linked together to handle several EMAs at once and it speeds up the whole boarding process.
Can you say more about the benefits of the ChairLifter?
Passengers with reduced mobility can at last settle back and enjoy their flight knowing that their mobility aid is much less likely to suffer any damage in transit.
For ground handling teams, the ChairLifter is a game-changer. Manual lifting is one of the biggest contributors to workplace injuries in aviation. The ChairLifter can help dramatically reduce the risk of strains, sprains and long‑term musculoskeletal issues.
Operationally, the ChairLifter brings consistency. It standardises the transfer process, reduces delays and integrates easily with existing PRM services. Its aluminium and galvanised frame means it’s tremendously robust and it even comes with a 10-year structural warranty.
Could you tell us about the product development process? Did customer feedback factor into its design?
Customer feedback was crucial to the process and helped us modify our early designs to come up with something which is already starting to fly just a few months after launch.
We carried out extensive live testing at Exeter Airport here in the UK and that proved really successful. The feedback was excellent and the ChairLifter more than proved its worth when it was put to the test in the real world.
In fact, the airport management were so pleased with the product that they asked to keep it at the end of the trial and are now ordering a second.
How many units have been sold so far, and where?
We’ve already secured orders from Gatwick, Eindhoven and Exeter and have received firm inquiries from Canada, Japan, Belgium, Asia and other UK operators.
The response from the Netherlands has been particularly strong. The launch coincided with a big push in the country to reduce manual lifting at airports as much as possible. Eindhoven put in their first order while we were still testing a prototype and we are in advanced talks with Amsterdam.
One of the things we found when we launched our step-free ramps 15 years ago is that interest really started to take off when people could see them in use. I think that will be even more the case with the ChairLifter.
What feedback have you received about the ChairLifter so far?
We’ve been chuffed to bits by the response to the ChairLifter since we launched it at the end of last year.
To be selling a product even before we had finished designing and testing it speaks volumes. And the range of inquiries we have already received shows that this is an idea whose time has come.
It’s particularly pleasing because the ChairLifter is another way we can help improve the passenger experience for all travellers, whatever their circumstances.
That’s something we have always believed in passionately at Aviramp.
