Des Moines Int’l Uses Portable Boarding Ramp to Accommodate Growth and Increase Accessibility

When Des Moines International Airport (DSM) started planning and designing its new terminal about a decade ago, the project team realized that several existing gates would have to be decommissioned to accommodate the new terminal’s footprint.

“As we started narrowing down how we were going to continue our current operations while also building this new facility next door, we found out that we were going to lose several of our parking positions,” recalls Operations Director Clint Torp.

Ultimately, DSM would sacrifice two boarding ramps with four parking spaces to make way for its new terminal. Fortunately, the solution soon became clear: The airport needed to expand its off-terminal parking and use a moveable boarding bridge to load and unload passengers at multiple locations. But the DSM team didn’t want just any old passenger bridge. It wanted to provide better access for all passengers, including those with mobility challenges.

That’s when Aviramp joined the conversation.

Overcoming an Overnight Parking Deficit

The airport’s new 300,000-square-foot terminal will replace the old terminal, which was built in 1948. When the $445 million facility opens in 2027, it will include 18 aircraft gates and additional remote parking positions to accommodate future growth. Last year, DSM shattered its previous record for annual passenger traffic thanks to an impressive post-COVID recovery.

Now thriving, the Iowa airport is ready to expand. So the project team had to figure out how to effectively serve a growing number of aircraft and passengers while the terminal was hampered during construction.

“Prior to the start of the terminal project, we had 12 physical jet bridges with 20 parking spaces around the terminal,” Torp says. “We had some dual-service gates that served two different spots, which added a complexity of its own. But now, we have 13 dedicated spots, period.”

That prompted the project team to assess the available infrastructure and evaluate its options. Operations personnel determined that the airport could convert a vehicle parking lot just south of the terminal into additional apron space for overnight aircraft parking. Ultimately, that yielded five additional spaces—four for narrow-body aircraft and one for regional airliners.

“As we’re working through that, we start to discuss contingency operations and how we would potentially deal with a constrained terminal facility and the potential for diversions on top of any other irregular events,” Torp says.

Torp and his team knew that two of DSM’s major constraints would be overnight parking and adjusting its passenger handling processes accordingly. “What are we going to do if we have a diversion come in, or if we need to deplane passengers at one of those remote spots?” Torp wondered. The airport had an existing set of mobile boarding stairs, but it wouldn’t be acceptable for passengers who can’t traverse stairs.

Project planners determined that the airport needed to procure additional equipment and modify the fence line to add remote positions for boarding and deplaning. Between engaging Aviramp in 2022 and awarding it the bid in 2023, DSM project personnel homed in on one of the company’s ramps that can be moved between remote parking positions to board and deplane passengers from narrow body aircraft.

Ramping Up

Lee Burrows, Aviramp’s installation, parts and customer service manager, says one of the reasons DSM chose the company’s Continental model for narrow body aircraft is because one person can operate it via full remote control. In addition, the ramp’s hydraulic drive system can be powered by a solar-powered electric motor. The ramp can also be outfitted with a small diesel motor, but DSM preferred the more environmentally friendly solar option.

Ramp components are designed and manufactured at Aviramp’s facility in the Midlands, U.K., and then loaded into 40-foot-high shipping containers like giant Erector sets. A contracted team in Iowa received the shipment and assembled the pieces.

“We train the local team on how to use the ramp safely,” Burrows emphasizes. “Once that’s completed, we sign off the ISO certification. Essentially, we do the whole thing from start to finish.”

Torp says his team likes the electric drive with solar array, and the fully enclosed tunnel that shields passengers from inclement weather.

“Being up north, we get everything from rain to snow, ice, sleet and all that good stuff,” he says. “We also appreciate that the operation of the unit appeared to be simple enough for our airline partners to be able to utilize without significant training. That was definitely a selling point. All in all, we got exactly what we were looking for.”

Foth Infrastructure and Environment, which led design, construction administration and observation for the project, helped DSM determine how to incorportate the Continental Aviramp into its airfield layout. The project team added the portable ramp after the remote parking design was already finished, and Foth determined how it would fit, how to store it between flights and where to anchor the tie-downs.

“Being a mid-construction change, we double-checked the parking locations to make sure the realignment of the Aviramp was minimized,” says Andrew Gettler, a Foth project manager who has been working with DSM for 10 years. “In two of the positions there is not enough room to move up and back; based on the layout we had to implement, one of the positions is turned sideways. As a result, the ramp had to be stored externally on the other positions.”

The halo—a safety guideline that is painted on the pavement—indicates the area where no equipment is permitted whether an aircraft is there or not. Clearly delineating that space is critical, because otherwise, a stored ramp could potentially be in the way. And that could be akin to finding a shopping cart in a grocery store parking space when you’re about to pull in, but with much more serious consequences than a dented bumper.

“At the remote parking apron, there are four aircraft positions. With the space available, one of them had to be turned slightly. Because of that, the area outside of those two halos was limited,” Gettler explains. “Basically, we set it up so the Aviramp could be parked on the other two positions while waiting for the next deplanement.”

Mobility Matters

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), about 64 million people in the United States have a disability that affects their mobility when traveling. That’s one in five.

“To the extent possible, airline and other stakeholders should strive to ensure that passengers with disabilities maintain their independence and dignity,” says an article on IATA’s website. “This is accomplished through adequate airport infrastructure, appropriate training, timely and customer-oriented services, as well as making use of technological solutions that can be leveraged to provide passengers with disabilities with choice and freedom to travel on their own terms.”

The new Aviramp at DSM helps make that possible. Burrows explains that the Continental has an eight-degree slope, which allows passengers to board and disembark more quickly than they would using a traditional set of stairs. Basically, it’s a three-part switchback shaped like the letter Z. The ease it provides is crucial for passenger using wheelchairs or walkers, and is also appealing to solo parents and caregivers managing strollers and suitcases.

“The alternate solution was a simpler stair, but the ramp makes it easier for the general public,” Gettler says. “It’s not as difficult to get up and down.”

Using a ramp can also benefit airlines, Burrows adds. Budget airlines can get people on and off planes more quickly, which is a key performance metric. And an Aviramp costs less than a bulky Ambulift, which boards and deplanes travelers in what amounts to a metal box on a scissor lift, he adds.

Seamlessly Moving Toward Completion

Personnel at DSM are leveraging the moveable ramp during terminal construction, and it’s also on standby for additional duty use going forward.

“It’s already working seamlessly,” Torp reports. “With two years to go in the terminal project, the beauty of it is that the pads will still be there after the construction is finished.”

Coordination among the airport, Aviramp and Foth was critical to success, and all worked together to come up with viable solutions to real challenges, he adds.

“There are a lot of very complex moving parts, and then there’s operational implementation, training and everything that went into making this move along smoothly,” Torp relates. “Thinking through that process as early as possible and planning for all the possible various scenarios that you might run into is worth encapsulating into your planning efforts. More planning is better than more work.”