There is no end of new developments in products designed to make flying accessible for all passengers, as Emma Kelly discovers.
Innovation is alive and well in the accessibility space – if this year’s shortlisted entries for the Crystal Cabin Awards’ Accessibility category are anything to go by.
From solutions that allow the use of passenger wheelchairs on board and the safe and dignified carriage of persons with reduced mobility (PRM), to features that help passengers with vision and hearing impairment safely move around the cabin and enjoy the in-flight experience, the momentum for greater accessibility is building.
Rather than being concepts, many of this year’s shortlisted entries are products progressing along the long road to certification and eventual use.
SITTING COMFORTABLY
J&C Aero, for example, expects to see its Jump Seat Duo convertible jump seat, which can be quickly converted from a cabin attendant seat to an onboard wheelchair for PRM, flying as early as northern Autumn 2026.
“The final design configuration will be presented at AIX 2026 in April,” says Maksim Jurkov, shareholder and Head of Design and Office of Airworthiness.
J&C Aero has been developing the seat for more than three years and is in the final certification stage with the European Aviation Safety Agency.
“The product has already completed multiple verification activities, including static, dynamic and cycling tests, with successful results,” says Jurkov.
Extensive feedback from OEMs, airlines and accessibility and PRM stakeholders has been incorporated in the second-generation product, with improvements in functionality, robustness and user experience reported.
While the solution is intended to be scalable across multiple aircraft types, the company is initially focusing on Airbus narrowbodies, with the first installation being on an A320.
Letronics is working closely with “a few airlines” on its Wiselift AnySeat powered PRM lift, which it is aiming to launch “real soon”, says Connie Villalpando, Marketing Manager.
The Wiselift AnySeat allows PRM to be transferred safely, comfortably and with dignity into any seat.
Because the power lift solution is based at the airport rather than on board, it doesn’t require aircraft modifications or certification programmes, meaning immediate fleet deployment is possible.
The Wiselift AnySeat powered PRM lift. Image: Letronics
“We are meeting with two airlines this month,” Villalpando told Inflight in late January. “They are very excited as the AnySeat requires no manual lifting, so it’s safer for crew and passengers.”
The solution has been developed in conjunction with PRM and advocacy groups, as well as human factors experts and airline crew.
The sling, which remains under the passenger throughout the flight, was designed with accessibility advocate Mary Doyle.
Today’s business class cabins increasingly feature angled and staggered suites and enclosed pods, which have impacted accessibility, but Letronics says AnySeat’s compact geometry, synchronised multi-axis actuation and stay-with-the-passenger sling overcomes ergonomic and spatial constraints, giving PRMs the freedom of seat choice.
EASY DOES IT
The AeroSlide Transfer System is the world’s first aisle wheelchair designed to replace the dangerous manual lifting of passengers with a seamless mechanical glide, according to Singapore-based Mobility Assist and its partners NICAE and NUS Enterprise.
The system features a built-in telescopic plate that extends laterally to create a stable bridge across the gap to the aircraft seat.
With AeroSlide, ground staff slide a passenger rather than lift, allowing them to quickly and safely seat PRM without injury to staff and restoring dignity to the passenger. The unit is lightweight, compact and foldable for onboard storage.
Speaking in January, Mobility Assist founder Edgar Danaraj told Inflight: “We are currently in the final stages of development and testing for an optimised prototype, which we expect to be ready by late January or early February 2026. We anticipate a two- to three-year timeline for adoption, with Asia as our launch market.”
Danaraj reveals that a major global ground handler has already expressed significant interest, adding: “We are currently focusing on airworthiness regulatory compliance.”
Extensive market research has been conducted, including with aircraft seat OEMs, airlines and airports, potential users, medical facilities and researchers.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with a clear consensus favouring a simple, automated device with a manual bypass,” says Danaraj. “This feedback has driven our design refinements over the last three years.”
REDEFINING THE RECLINE
Australian company SkyBudi is seeking to revolutionise medical transportation with its innovative solution comprising a lightweight, rapidly deployable reclining support system that converts economy class seats into a stable bed surface.
A functional prototype is set to be revealed at AIX 2026 in April and the solution is on track for ground testing with an unnamed Australian carrier from May.
The AeroSlide Transfer System is designed to do away with the manual lifting of passengers.
Integration in the airline’s fleet is expected in late 2026, followed by US market launch with a “major US tier one carrier” in early 2027, says SkyBudi’s founder Andy Heath.
SkyBudi has been designed to address a long-standing challenge – providing accessible, dignified and clinically suitable comfort for passengers with mobility, medical, sensory or fatigue-related needs.
Heath says the company seeks to fill the mobility gap affecting passengers who are clinically fit to fly but physically unable to endure a standard seat or a business class flatbed.
A flight nurse with 20 years of experience across 3,500 global flights, Heath developed the system having noticed that most mature and medical patients prefer a semi-reclined position – with lying flat at altitude causing abdominal mass to press against the diaphragm, reducing lung expansion and oxygenation.
SkyBudi combines a semi-Fowler position to provide better ventilation, with elevated legs to reduce oedema.
SkyBudi’s journey started with the Qantas Avro accelerator in 2017 where, Heath says, “early-stage failures provided critical insights into airline operations”.
Proof-of-concept developments with Virgin Australia followed, with the product now in the pre-production phase.
SkyBudi is working with Friedman Research on aerospace safety requirements and patient transport leader Ferno on manufacturing.
The SkyBudi solution is operated by a certified escort, known as a “Budi”, who manages the installation and provides clinical care, with no airline operational burden – and the Budi App connecting families, hospitals and insurers with certified escorts.
SkyBudi’s medical transportation solution converts economy class seats into a stable bed surface.
UNIVERSAL SOLUTION
Airbus’s Airspace U (Universal) Suite is a concept, but one that has been developed over numerous years in partnership with AMF, Ipeco and Sunrise Medical.
The primary function is to enable PRM to travel safely and seamlessly in their own wheelchair, explains Ekaterina Lieshout, Project Lead.
The suite eliminates the need for transfers, featuring a robust restraint system to safely secure the wheelchair to the cabin floor.
The Airspace U Suite is a versatile cabin compartment, designed not just for wheelchairs, but serving a wide spectrum of passenger requirements, from visual or hearing to cognitive impairments or medical transportation needs, says Axel Becker, Market Insights and Accessibility Expert.
Airbus’s Airspace U Suite has been developed in partnership with AMF, Ipeco and Sunrise Medical.
Image: Airbus
“It provides a highly customised area, offering unique and essential configurations, such as quiet, semi-private calm zones for those with cognitive impairments or vis-à-vis seating for sign language conversations.”
The suite can also function as a premium zone for any passenger, for families or business meetings.
Airbus has gathered feedback from multiple airlines, says Lieshout, adding: “They understand that this is a great need that is currently missing. However, the impact on seating capacity and daily operations requires further discussion.”
According to Lieshout, the plan is to build technical feasibility before addressing this.
She says: “Our priority is resolving key technical milestones to ensure a robust and compliant launch,” adding that Airbus is confident “this design can improve an airline’s revenue with the correct use cases”.
MULTI-SENSORY DESIGNS
Meanwhile, Airbus is working on new accessible lavatory concepts based on different design principles – including temporarily extending the footprint through moveable walls and folding mechanisms; the relocation of cabin space; and merging two adjacent lavatories temporarily, retracting the wall in between.
Also on the shortlist is Mercury Products with its Airchair II, an onboard wheelchair designed to provide an improved experience for PRM; and Toyota Boshoku’s Well-Voyage Seat, which is a detachable aircraft seat that docks securely in the aircraft cabin and detaches.
Passengers with hearing and vision disabilities are also set to benefit from accessibility developments, with these solutions generally facing an easier path to get on board.
Diehl Aviation’s Adaptive User Routing System (AURS), for example, comprising an accessible lavatory layout with a smart digital layer, is designed to help passengers use onboard lavatories.
It features an intuitive, multi-sensory design with adaptive digital guidance for blind and deaf passengers, with a Bluetooth beacon or airline app automatically activating personalised accessibility features.
Passenger orientation is intuitive thanks to high-contrast surfaces, tactile guidance, Braille and distinct control shapes, while safety announcements are visually presented on an integrated mirror display, and adaptive lighting and optional audio cues highlight essential elements.
AURS is a “fully developed cabin concept that has been engineered with FAA and EASA certification in mind from day one”, says Tammo Bahns, Customer Innovation Engineer.
From a technical standpoint, the concept is mature, with the solution built on Diehl’s already certified connected cabin and digital platform.
“Once an airline or aircraft manufacturer launches a programme, we believe that AURS could be implemented within about two years,” says Bahns.
Accessibility groups helped to create the concept, including through a hands-on technology demonstrator.
“One comment we hear repeatedly is that this is the first time an aircraft lavatory feels understandable and predictable to use and that it allows people to use it independently and with dignity,” says Bahns.
He adds that airlines and OEMs have meanwhile responded positively, appreciating that AURS doesn’t treat accessibility as an isolated feature but as an integrated part of the cabin experience.
Toyota Boshoku’s WellVoyage Seat is a detachable aircraft seat that docks securely in the the aircraft cabin. Image: Toyota Boshoku Corporation
TOUCH-BASED NAVIGATION
Schneller’s Integrated Braille Embossing Technology embeds Braille, tactile text and raised pictograms directly into certified aircraft laminates as an alternative to conventional Braille placards, which over time collect dirt, peel off and require separate approvals for every surface.
The markings can be applied to seat shells, armrests, lavatories and galleys, providing intuitive, touch-based navigation for visually impaired passengers.
“This is very much a production-ready solution,” says Roma Rupani, Principal Designer, CMF & Strategy.
“Because the embossing process qualifies as a minor surface variant within established certifications, it enables near-term adoption without the need for new material approvals.
“Precision, legibility, and tactile clarity were foundational criteria from the outset.”
Airlines and seat manufacturers in particular have demonstrated strong interest, says Rupani.
“They clearly see the value in making accessibility feel like a natural part of the cabin, rather than something added afterward.”
Rupani anticipates “near-term” introduction in seating, monuments and other high-touch cabin surfaces. “It is ready to move when the industry is,” she says.
TACTILE GUIDANCE
Embraer’s Inclusive Cabin signage system features Braille and tactile placards throughout the cabin to provide tactile guidance.
Embraer says the placards are made of lightweight, flame-retardant materials that comply with aviation safety standards, thereby offering a solution with minimal weight and cost implications.
Safran Passenger Innovations’ Live Transcriptions and Translations feature is the latest concept under development for its accessible IFE.
The feature works by transcribing cabin speaker PA announcements to text that can be viewed on Safran’s seatback RAVE IFE in real time – and translated into the passenger’s preferred language.
Verena Bintaro, Senior Director Brand Marketing and Communications, says that when Safran first started talking to its airline customers about accessible features a number of years ago, transcribing speech to text on the IFE screen was a top request, but it was not possible.
She says: “Advancements in AI language models necessary for a feature like this to thrive, especially those which do not require cloud or internet, have only recently become viable for offline use.”
Previous Crystal Cabin finalists are also making progress, including Diehl’s Space3 accessible lavatory for long-haul aircraft, which combines two of three lavatory units into a single, large, wheelchair-accessible space.
Tammo Bahns says the product could enter service in “the very near future”, adding: “We’re seeing strong interest from airlines and OEMs, particularly because Space3 delivers a dual benefit – improved accessibility for PRM and clear efficiency gains for operators.
“Depending on cabin configuration, the concept can free up space for up to four additional seats, while its lightweight design and high level of pre-assembly support lower emissions and improved cost efficiency.”
While Diehl’s existing accessibility focus is on the lavatory, learnings are informing broader developments.
“Our objective is to integrate accessibility systematically across our future product portfolio and to support a more inclusive travel experience for all passengers,” says Bahns.
Collins Aerospace’s Prime solution makes it possible for persons with reduced mobility to remain in their powered wheelchair throughout their journey.
CLOSING THE MOBILITY GAP
Collins Aerospace has likewise adopted accessibility as a core design pillar. Its Prime solution, also a 2025 finalist, has undergone further development and will be displayed at this year’s AIX.
Prime makes it possible for PRM to remain in their powered wheelchair throughout their journey.
Prime has been further developed ahead of this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo. Image: Collins Aerospace
The system is enabled by modifying an existing monument that allows powered wheelchairs to easily roll on board and secure in place – or wheelchair users can make a direct transfer to a seat.
Shawn Raybell, Director of Business Development, Cabin Products, says the solution is integrated with a comprehensive set of passenger amenities, including a tray table, reading light, power outlets, and air gasper – just like the experience a passenger would expect at any other seat.
The system is also familiar, utilising a “roll on, lock down” securement system that is standard in many ground transportation applications.
Details have been further refined since 2025, as Raybell explains.
“One of the more significant refreshes includes improving egress for the window seat passenger and refining the wheelchair position by deconflicting potential flow issues during boarding and deplaning.”
Collins has also made improvements to the functionality and ergonomics of the deployable workstation – the flexible monument that retracts for use by cabin crew when the wheelchair spot is unoccupied.
“The workstation can now remain extended for take-off and landing and be stowed only when a wheelchair passenger occupies this space,” says Raybell.
He adds that airlines have been “overwhelmingly positive” thanks to a solution that is easily certified, provides users with a cabin experience on par with every other passenger, and is density neutral.
Collins is also taking the latest evolution of its accessible lavatory concept to AIX, featuring an enhanced passenger experience with more room.
SLOW TRAIN COMING
While the multitude of developments are encouraging, the pace of certification remains glacial.
The Air4All/Delta Flight Products’ solution, which has been under development since 2019 and will allow a PRM to complete the journey in their own wheelchair, continues its slow journey towards realisation.
The product, which has undergone some adjustments since its AIX 2025 appearance, has OEM/airlines ready to deploy it, confirms Christopher Wood, Aviation Accessibility Consultant, but the certification goal remains.
Wood says: “We are still progressing towards certification, but at times it is like watching tectonic plates move.”
This article was published in the March/April 2026 edition of Inflight. To read more articles like this, apply for your complimentary subscription today.
