GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) has installed a wheelchair lift, making it the first airport in India to install the facility. The airport is already home to PRM-friendly equipment, and the new addition is in line with the airport’s Passenger is Prime program.
The verti-lift installed at Hyderabad Airport takes around two minutes to move a passenger from the gate to the baggage claim area. It is electrically powered and can be operated by a remote control after securing the wheelchair passenger onto the lift’s platform. The airport has also provided a backup power source to ensure uninterrupted operations of the lift at all times.
Approximately 40,000 passengers fly in and out of Hyderabad each day, out of which more than 100 arrival passengers are wheelchair users. For wheelchair passengers that arrive on aircraft that do not dock at aerobridges, elevators are provided to enable them to enter the terminal building to reclaim their baggage. For this, they are usually escorted by a member of airline staff toward the baggage-claim area. To minimize the wait time at the elevators and to provide a better experience to the passengers requiring assistance, the verti-lift solution has been introduced.
SGK Kishore, CEO at GHIA, said, “We are happy to be the first airport in India to introduce a verti-lift to serve our passengers. Under our Passenger is Prime program, our consistent endeavor has been to adopt and implement new technology and services to provide exceptional services to passengers who require assistance of any kind. The verti-lift is our latest effort as part of this program, which is also in line with the government’s Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan initiative.
“We at Hyderabad Airport have been focused on providing the best possible facilities and services to passengers with reduced mobility and, we are confident that the verti-lift solution would make travel through our airport easier and better for our passengers.”