Patent ID: 7069611

Claim:
A boarding ramp for forming a protective passageway for permitting loading of passengers from the ground level exit of an airport terminal or a vehicle to commuter aircraft having a door sill at a different height from the ground level of the terminal or the vehicle, the boarding ramp comprising: at least one fixed-height corridor unit having a rear end and a forward end, said rear end abuttable to the terminal or the vehicle at the ground level exit thereof; a gangway corridor unit having a rear end and a forward end, said rear end of said gangway corridor unit joined at ground level to said forward end of said at least one fixed-height corridor unit, said gangway corridor unit being provided with a gangway that is pivotally attached at said rear end of said gangway corridor unit and raisable at said forward end of said gangway corridor unit said gangway corridor unit being of increasing height from the height of said at least one fixed-height corridor unit to encompass the height of the door of the aircraft, in relation to said gangway corridor unit, said gangway being selectively inclinable from the ground level of said terminal or said vehicle to the door sill of the aircraft.