Several major US airline carriers have commissioned Midwest Aero Support (MAS) to design, manufacture and supply a new version of its onboard wheelchair that meets the updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requirements coming into force later this year.
MAS is an MRO services company based near Chicago, which works in the commercial and military aircraft components sector and currently builds and ships around 150 onboard wheelchairs per year to airlines under existing ADA requirements.
The airline clients, which have not been named, will be among the first airlines to fly the new chair model ahead of the Department of Transportation (DOT) rule coming into effect. Currently, US airlines are not required to carry an onboard wheelchair on every flight, and are generally only obliged to provide one when requested in advance.
However, Title 14 CFR Part 382 under the Air Carrier Access Act stipulates that any new aircraft configured for 60 or more passengers and delivered in the US after October 2026 will be required to to carry an ADA-compliant onboard wheelchair onboard.
The rule mandates that the onboard wheelchair must either roll directly in front of the lavatory door or fit inside the lavatory completely, enabling easier and more private access for passengers with mobility needs. Airlines currently operating non-compliant chairs will be required to transition to the updated model over a five-year period.
Under the terms of the airline contracts, MAS will lead the design, manufacturing, testing, certification, packaging, delivery and support of the ADA-compliant wheelchairs, as well as running an attrition-based replacement programme with a dedicated pipeline for chairs and parts.
Features of the new onboard wheelchair
MAS say its new onboard wheelchair incorporates several design updates:
- Adjustability and capacity: The chair back telescopes and the foot panel extends to accommodate passengers of different heights. The chair includes armrests and has a 227 kg (500 lbs) weight capacity. Despite being 0.5 in longer than the previous model, the new chair collapses to the same footprint for storage. It weighs 8.7 kg (19.2 lbs), which MAS says is several pounds lighter than the previous model.
- Directional mobility: The two front wheels are omnidirectional and the rear two pivot on an axle, allowing forward and reverse movement with less effort in narrow aircraft aisles.
- Antimicrobial surfaces: The seat pan features antimicrobial covers to reduce germ transfer on high-touch surfaces.
- An updated instructions label: The label now includes a pictogram alongside usage descriptions to accommodate passengers with varying language needs.
“MAS and its partners have been relentlessly working with customers to customise this onboard wheelchair for mobility and convenience. A small adjustment can make a big difference,” said Rick Ruppert, president of Midwest Aero Support.
“We took as much weight out and put as many features in the onboard wheelchair as possible to ensure compliance with federal regulation while suiting the needs of passengers for navigating the aircraft aisles and lavatory,” he added. “We hope to continue to bring additional upgrades to airlines and passengers to make travel even more accessible and comfortable.”
