Passenger boarding bridges for the Airbus A380
New dimensions in boarding and deboarding
The Airbus A380 sets new standards in aviation. ThyssenKrupp is among the suppliers and service providers involved in the construction of the world's largest passenger aircraft. The Company also supplies equipment to airports which are now having to make structural modifications to accommodate the aircraft's dimensions. ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems in Spain developed a patented passenger boarding bridge especially for the Airbus A380 which reduces boarding time – and thus expensive standing time at the airport – from 45 to 38 minutes by allowing the 555 passengers to board and deboard from the upper and lower decks at the same time. In order to realize this, considerable technical work went into increasing the lift height of the hydraulic apron-drive bridges from 5.4 to 8.2 meters. In Europe so far four of the new passenger boarding bridges have been installed at Zurich, London Heathrow and Madrid-Barajas airports. Dubai Airport is to be fitted with 25 passenger boarding bridges shortly as part of the airport's expansion.
The new "cantilever over the wing" bridge promises to further reduce boarding time to 24 minutes. This innovative technology will allow access to the upper doors behind the wings. To prevent damage to the wing and avoid interrupting work on the ground, the pedestal at the terminal end is fixed to the ground so that the bridge can move freely and can be swiveled through the air.
