Cebu Pacific Air announced on Wednesday it has acquired 35 units of Disable Passenger Lift machines for the boarding convenience of passengers with disability (PWDs) and senior citizens at the airports.
CEB is the first airline in the country to invest in its own DPL in line with its thrust to improve passenger experience.
Michael Ivan Shau, Cebu Pacific Air vice president for Airport Services, said the use of the machines will be free of charge for airline passengers with reduced mobility and also for pregnant and elders who may have difficulty climbing stairs to board their flights.
Shau said the airline acquired the machines for P100 million. He added that the first machine was installed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport – Terminal 3 last March for testing and evaluation.
Since July, the machine has been used to lift PWDs, pregnant and elder passengers on a limited number of CEB flights.
The rest of the Australian-made DPL units would be installed beginning 2018. Six units will be placed at NAIA terminal 3 with the rest to be deployed to other CEB hubs nationwide namely—Clark, Kalibo, Iloilo, Cebu and Davao, as well as high-traffic airports across the country wjere CEB operates flights using Airbus aircraft.
“We are looking at initiatives to improve the passenger experience for everyone. For our PWD passengers and those with reduced mobility, we recognize that the experience of being lifted manually can be uncomfortable. Investing in the DPLs will allow us to board and deplane passengers with reduced mobility safely, with minimal discomfort,” said Shau.
CEB information officer Charo Logarta said the machine can carry two to three persons, depending on the size and the weight of the wheelchairs.
“The machine has 300-kilo weight limit,” she said.
n 2016 alone, more than 43,000 passengers availed of wheelchair assistance from the check-in counter, 14,000 of them were wheeled from the counter and carried to their seats in the aircraft.
The DPL was introduced in 1998 by international aircraft service provider Airport Maintenance Services – Ground Service Equipment to give airports a safe, comfortable and dignified way to get PWDs on and off aircraft.
