Evac+Chair International: on-board transit chair for air, sea and rail

Evac+Chair International: on-board transit chair for air, sea and rail. Evac+Chair International Ltd is a UK based company with over 20 years experience in the design and manufacture of patient and passenger transport solutions for persons with mobility impairment.

The Air+Chair is part of a family of products, and provides assistance to disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility travelling by air, sea or rail and protects them from discrimination through intelligent design.

Disabled Person’s Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) is a UK Government advisory body established under the Transport Act 1985. In 2007 it released a design specification for an On-Board Wheelchair to be carried on commercial passenger aircraft. This is the first public document created in response to the European Union Regulation 1107/2006, which gives disabled people and people with reduced mobility opportunities for air travel comparable to other citizens when they fly out of EU airports.

According to the regulation, airport operators and operating air carriers within the Community shall not refuse to “embark a disabled person or person of reduced mobility provided that the person concerned has a valid ticket and reservation.”(Art.3(b))

“If the size of the aircraft or its doors makes embarkation or carriage of that person physically impossible” they “shall make reasonable efforts to propose acceptable alternative to the person in question” (Art 4.1(b)). This is not intended to allow derogation of duty, but to make positive steps to assist with embarkation, to make reasonable efforts to arrange seating to meet individual needs, and to assist in moving to toilet facilities if required.

Although the DPTAC design specification is not a statutory requirement, it is intended to promote best practice in meeting the needs of disabled people. It will be a matter for regulators, providers and operators to decide whether to adopt these specifications for themselves. The picture of the Air+Chair™ illustrates how the specification has been interpreted by Evac+Chair International Limited, a well known company with a range of products suitable for passenger handling.

The Air+Chair weigh 8 kgs and accommodates a narrow aisle from 390 mm (15.5 inches) wide. Its folding back rest and gullwings allow for easy transfer into the aisle. The maximum payload of 250 kg is due to the intelligent design of the load bearing support legs and cross beams.

The Air+Chair has several unique features which have been registered with the UK Patent Office.

The Air+Chair is an intelligent solution for air, sea and rail applications.

Contact:

Evac+Chair International Ltd.,
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 121 706 6744
info@evacchair.co.uk