Accessible Airplane Seats

Designed by two students from the United Arab Emirates, the Air-Chair is a new concept piece that helps disabled passengers use a single chair for their entire journey when flying. Air travel for disabled people generally requires multiple seat changes, which can become quite taxing and exhausting. To solve this, the Air-Chair simply slides over the top of standard airplane seats and allows passengers to remain in place for the duration of the journey.

To create a chair that could easily slip over an existing seat, the designers gave the Air-Chair a hollowed-out C shape. The wheeled portions easily fit underneath the standard airplane seat, while a locking mechanism secures the chair in place and allows the user to access the provided seatbelt and reach for the life vest.

The Air-Chair has already received recognition as a concept piece and has received recognition from the James Dyson Awards.