This new plane design could change flying for wheelchair users

Airbus announced that it completed the first test flight of its new Airspace U Suite seating concept, a flexible pod that can be installed on aircraft that allows passengers to fly in a variety of seating configurations, including in a secured wheelchair.

Based on renderings, the U Suite appears to be configured with five or six seat spaces facing each other. The seat bottoms can fold up, enabling multiple configurations, including space for wheelchair stowage, the ability to extend a bed across the pod, or a table to allow business travelers to meet during their flight. Currently, passengers with mobility devices have to check their devices at the boarding door.

But for Airbus, the accessibility option is at the forefront of the design.

"Because your own wheelchair is a vital extension of your body for everyday mobility, having to use an airport chair is genuinely a terrible experience," Dirk Thalheim, an Airbus Design Office engineer, said in a statement.

Thalheim is also a wheelchair user and was the first person to flight test the Airspace U Suite while traveling in his own wheelchair in March.

A rendering shows the Airspace U Suite concept.

Airbus acknowledged that the current system, which requires wheelchair users to leave their mobility devices and travel in a standard airplane seat, is risky to travelers and often results in damaged devices.

"Air travel connects the world, offering passengers unparallelled freedom, and relatively easy access to far flung corners of the globe. But, for over 1 billion people living with a disability, that connection usually comes with compromises," the company's statement said. "The Airspace U Suite concept, enables PRMs (Passengers with Reduced Mobility) to remain in their own personal wheelchair throughout the flight, secured directly to the cabin floor. It also removes the need for wheelchair transfers, reduces the risk of wheelchair damage, and restores autonomy, helping to empower independence and create a seamless travel experience for all."

Business travelers may be able to use the Airspace U Suite space to conduct meetings while flying.

According to Department of Transportation statistics, U.S. airlines damage or destroy roughly 10,000 mobility devices every year. Advocates have long said that one of the best ways to address that problem is to find a way to allow wheelchair users to fly in their own mobility devices, as they already can when traveling by other modes of transportation.

The Airspace U Suite still needs to undergo further testing and certification, but Airbus said airlines should be able to begin installations in 2032.

This story was updated to refresh headlines.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York, and you can reach him at [email protected].