OmniServ has enhanced its vehicle fleet at the world’s second busiest international passenger airport with the purchase of seven Bulmor SideBull Ambulifts, facilitating a much faster and more efficient boarding and disembarkation experience for passengers who require this type of assistance.
SideBull Ambulifts are cabin units mounted on trucks; the cabins can be lowered to ground level to allow multiple People with Reduced Mobility (PRM) passengers to enter and then raised to connect with aircraft entrances.
Jonathan Coen, customer relations and service director at Heathrow said, “Heathrow’s vision is to make every journey better, for every single passenger. We need to do more when it comes to our special assistance service and we hope investments in equipment like these Ambulifts will make a real difference to travel experience and comfort of our passengers when travelling through our airport and help us in providing a more accessible, welcoming Heathrow.”
OmniServ’s Andrew Marshall, head of airport services for Heathrow, said, “OmniServ is committed to delivering the best possible experience for all passengers. The Bulmor SideBull Ambulifts is an innovative solution that allows us to transfer people onto and off aircraft with dignity and care.”
The SideBull Ambulifts are based on side loading technology, which means that stabilisers are not required and enables the vehicle cabin to be raised and lowered whilst the vehicle is in motion, significantly improving efficiency. The vehicles are also highly automated with numerous safety functions such as proximity laser guidance.
One of the other benefits of the side-loading forklift mechanism is that it has made the cabin more stable while at height. This means it is able to operate in wind speeds exceeding 50 knots, so weather conditions are less likely to disrupt services for PRM passengers.
Finally, the new vehicles are also able to lower the entire cabin to ground level, enabling large numbers of passengers to enter and exit with ease without having to use smaller tail lifts as would have been the case previously. This further reduces risk to passengers as there is no inherent height hazard. OmniServ staff can also now assist passengers directly onto and off coaches and buses without the need for them to use steps.
The new equipment has already proven its value at other UK airports, including Stansted, where OmniServ also provides PRM assistance.
Four of the vehicles are already in operation at Heathrow with OmniServ’s PRM teams having been fully trained in their operation. Another three SideBull Ambulifts will be deployed over the next three months - two of which are the only A380 compatible SideBulls in the UK.
This latest purchase means that OmniServ operates the largest UK fleet of SideBulls – with Heathrow and Stansted having the largest fleets of SideBulls of any UK airports.
OmniServ will be showcasing the new PRM SideBull at Heathrow as part of this year’s AOA UK Airports Safety Week 2018. Under this year’s theme ‘Promoting Safety Together’, the SideBull will be presented May 15, on stand at Terminal 5 and May 16, on stand at Terminal 3 giving the Heathrow community an opportunity to get up close and learn about the SideBull’s innovative design and safety features.
