As part of the ongoing redevelopment and improvement program at CLT, the airport awarded East Island Aviation a contract to purchase and install two news custom walkways and Regional Boarding Ramps.

Gate positions E4 & E5 could not accommodate a conventional passenger boarding bridge so the airport came to East Island Aviation to design and build two fully enclosed custom passenger walkways with Regional Boarding Ramps.

The project required quite a bit of out of the box thinking as ramp space was at a premium. At E4 & E5 passengers will no longer have to traverse the open active apron to an uncovered KCI ramp.

They have a near jet bridge-like experience from the hold room to the aircraft cabin. RBR’s are just one of our specialty boarding apparatuses that are servicing regional jets and turbo-props around the globe.

The contract value was $750,000. For more information contact Jim Larson at jlarson@eiaviation.com or call 631-385-1239.

East Island Aviation lands in Fiji with a multi-use A-320 Passenger Ramp

In June 2018 East Island was asked by Fiji Airways to design a switchback passenger boarding ramp that could service the Airbus fleet mix of 319/320/321, and the new Boeing 737 MAX jet. The ramp needed to be powered for easy maneuvering from gate to gate.

However, there was still one catch… FJ still needed to service the ATR fleet mix that is used for inter-island flights but didn’t have funding for additional ramps.

Our design/build team said,”not a problem, we’ve got you covered!”

We incorporated a gangplank already in use on our Regional Boarding Ramps for low sill height aircraft at the lower landing of the switchback.

When FJ needs to board or deplane ADA passengers on the ATRs or just want to enhance the customer experience, they simply switch the Crown Drive Unit to the opposite side and dock the ramp from the lower landing. Have a look at the photos and video links in this post.

And unlike KCI and AVIRAMPS, our units offers the most spacious upper deck. The overall dimensions are nearly identical to a conventional Passenger Boarding Bridge cab.

Agents can safely and easily open and close the aircraft door and there is plenty of room for an agent to greet passengers or assist in a wheelchair transfer.

For more information on this style ramp or any other custom East Island Aviation ramp application, contact Jim Larson at jlarson@eiaviation.com.

In early 2018 United Airlines needed a short term solution to protect and connect passengers to a new aircraft parking spot on the F-concourse. Gate F22B was designed and developed for immediate aircraft operations but unfortunately there was no Jet Bridge. Rossi Contractors immediately reached out to East Island Aviation to come up with a modular ground tunnel that could fit between two existing Jet Bridges.

The passenger corridor needed to not only protect passengers but needed to meet the stringent criteria set forth by the Chicago Dept of Aviation (CDA). Our “FX” modules were the perfect solution. In less than 45 days East Island Aviation and Rossi got United up and running for full passenger activity.

United has already found a new location to re-use the walkway once a Jet Bridge is installed, and the modular design makes it a snap to un-pin and relocate to another gate or even a different airport with minimal GSE or Facilities support.

Since 1996 East Island’s modular FX walkway tunnels and patented retractable articulating Commute-A-Walk® have been protecting and directing passengers across the tarmac around the globe.

For more information on Commute-A-Walk or any of our other ground boarding equipment, feel free to contact us.

Early this year the Denver International Airport opened phase II of the A-concourse expansion designated for common use. And just like phase I, Denver International Airport chose East Island Aviation’s “fixed” and “articulating” Commute-A-Walk® walkway modules to connect and protect passengers to and from the KCI boarding ramps.

As the concourse is a ground level facility, Commute-A-Walk® was a perfect fit. The walkways are now in full service at Gates A71 through A81.

For more information on our full line of passenger protection modules and articulating retractable walkways please contact us.

On March 10th 2018, East Island Aviation installed its 20th Commute-A-Walk® mobile covered passenger walkway in Kita-Kyushu, Japan.

Our patented Commute-A-Walk® is referred to in Japan as the “Apron Roof®.

The walkway is the first phase of ground boarding coverage on a Hard Stand position at the Kita-Kyushu airport not being serviced by a boarding bridge.

Later this year we will be installing the fixed “FX” modular connector that will join the retractable walkway to the terminal access doorway. Please see the drawing exhibit in the article.

All of our walkways are installed and maintained by our exclusive Japanese agent, Aviation Research Institute, “ARI”.  ARI has been representing Commute-A-Walk® for over 18 years.

For more information about our exclusive Commute-A-Walk® or other ground boarding products, please contact us.

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center has recently installed an East Island Aviation Commute-A-Walk® as a retractable pedestrian walkway.

In 2017 Ryman Properties, the operator of the Marriott Gaylord National hotel constructed a beautiful Riverfront Ballroom on the Potomac River.

However, due to fire lane restrictions they were unable to connect the hotel with the ballroom with a fixed structure. As a result the guests going to and from the ballroom were exposed to inclement weather conditions. In addition, the back of house staff had to deal with the same conditions for catering.

Ryman needed a solution that would protect its staff and guests yet still comply with local fire codes. They needed a portable and retractable pedestrian walkway that could be easily deployed & stowed on demand.

The solution was our Commute-A-Walk® portable walkway.

Working with their architects, we developed a five section walkway system that inter-connects the hotel and the kitchen to the ballroom with a section to accommodate ADA and physically impaired guests. When the walkway is not needed it is transported to a storage area via custom trailers provided by East Island Aviation.

Phase II is scheduled to be complete mid-February.  Look for more pictures soon.

For more information on East Island Aviation’s portable and retractable pedestrian walkway system, feel free to contact us.

On July 4^th East Island Aviation took the wraps of another two Commute-A-Walk® retractable passenger walkways in Japan.

The two new walkways installed at Ibaragi Airport north of Tokyo are the first in 2017 with two more scheduled for Narita later in the year.

“It’s been a long , and sometimes challenging road over the last 15 years promoting the patented ground boarding walkway but it is finally paying off”, says Jim Larson founding partner and inventor of Commute-A-Walk®.

And without the dedication of East Island Aviation’s exclusive Japanese teaming partner, Aviation Research Institute, none of these installations would have ever taken place.

Aviation Research Institute’s founder and managing director, Kenichi Oyama struggled early on with getting the aviation culture to accept the name “Commute-A-Walk®”, so he came up with the trademarked name “ Apron Roof®” which is now widely accepted as the standard for ground boarding walkways. With multiple installations throughout Japan, the U.S. made product is gaining momentum quickly. A recent Japanese aviation industry press release about a new LCC terminal being constructed at Cyubu’s Centrair Airport confirmed the terminal operator’s commitment to  install Commute-A-Walk® retractable passenger walkways.  The cost to operate and maintain these retractable walkways is a fraction of the cost of a passenger boarding bridge.

For more information on Commute-A-Walk® and other ground boarding equipment and solutions, feel free to contact us.