Electric wheelchair will improve the work environment at Aalborg Airport
Wolturnus has teamed up with Aalborg Airport to prevent back problems among airport staff by supplying an electric wheelchair for passenger transport.
The international airport in Northern Jutland wants to improve the work environment and to safeguard staff safety and well-being. It has therefore entered into partnership with Wolturnus in order to make customer transport in the airport more healthful and safer.
150 to 200 times each month, Aalborg Airport staff transfer passengers by wheelchair from terminal to plane. Until now, staff have had to push manual wheelchairs. That makes physical demands on staff who have to transport passengers with a lot of hand luggage every day.
”It was difficult for staff to manoeuvre the manual wheelchairs around the airport complex, which has up-ramps and down-ramps that can be hard on the back,” says Bettina Giversen, Work Environment Representative for Aalborg Airport.
The number of international flights in and out of the airport increased, which meant the need to find an alternative to manual wheelchairs increased too. There are more passengers and therefore more situations in which people need a hand to get around in the airport.
Electric airport wheelchairs spare the back
Wolturnus has therefore developed an electric airport wheelchair that will prevent staff back problems. Wolturnus designs and manufactures wheelchairs in Nibe, and specialises in robust wheelchairs that are adjusted to meet individual requirements. And a special solution is exactly what the airport needed in order to transport handicapped and mobility-impaired customers.
The airport wheelchair is propelled by a joystick. The joystick has been placed in a position that allows the staff member to chat with the passenger during transfer. Staff can propel the wheelchair without physical exertion, so they can transport more people every week. Airport staff have worked closely with Wolturnus in order to optimise the electric airport wheelchair, which is the first of its kind. Wolturnus designers are currently working on an in-built baggage carrier that will lighten the staff’s load even more.
”We build a good life in a wheelchair. Usually it’s all about giving the person in the wheelchair a good experience. In this case, the focus was on creating a wheelchair that ensures the helper also has a comfortable handling experience. We are very pleased to have been able to contribute to a better working environment at Aalborg Airport. It has given us insight into the way that we can help smaller airport that use manual wheelchairs to transfer passengers.” said Wolturnus Marketing Manager Kim Kallestrup on Friday (24th October 2014) when he demonstrated the wheelchair for airport staff.