ISO 15845:2014 specifies the minimum functional and safety requirements for enclosed self-propelled boarding vehicles designed for transporting and boarding/de-boarding persons with reduced mobility onto/from the main deck or upper deck of main line civil transport aircraft on which they are travelling as a passenger.
The intent of ISO 15845:2014 is not to specify equipment design, but rather to define minimum functional and safety requirements and highlight those criteria which are known to be essential to an efficient and safe operation on civil transport aircraft in the environment of international airports.
ISO 15845:2014 specifies the worldwide requirements recognized by aircraft and vehicle manufacturers as well as airlines and airport authorities. In addition, it shall be applied with due reference to the national governmental regulations of the country where the vehicle is to be operated. The main though not exclusive areas in which such national regulations can apply are:
? general requirements applicable to road vehicles, or similar local airport regulations;
? sanitary requirements regarding design, cleaning, disinfection and equipment of vehicles that can be used to carry diseased persons with or without medical attendance;
? safety requirements applicable to elevating equipment carrying persons in the elevated position.
Nothing in this International Standard, however, shall be deemed to supersede any locally applicable law or regulation, unless a specific exemption has been obtained for this purpose from the appropriate Authority. See NOTE of 4.1.1 hereafter as regards legal requirements applicable in the European Union and EFTA.
ISO 15845:2014 assumes that a disabled or incapacitated passenger can be accompanied by at least one attendant, and can be seated in a wheelchair or reclining on a stretcher trolley. Major factors in the design of the vehicle, with relevance to safety, are the consideration of psychological aspects, i.e. feelings of well-being and security, and the physical comfort of the passenger and the avoidance of panic.
ISO 15845:2014 also assumes that any type of wheelchair, e.g. standard type with or without occupant self-restraint system, aircraft aisle width wheelchairs without armrests, non-occupant propelled wheelchairs, battery powered wheelchairs, etc., or any type of stretcher transport trolley, can be employed.
NOTE It is assumed that battery powered wheelchairs will not be taken into the cabin of an aircraft.
ISO 15845:2014 does not apply to other forms of aircraft loading equipment which can be used but is not specifically designed for boarding of incapacitated or disabled persons, e.g. mobile lounges, passenger boarding bridges, or externally mounted pods such as used on medical evacuation helicopters.
ISO 15845:2014 does not apply to unmodified automotive parts approved for public vehicles, e.g. chassis, when used on a boarding vehicle for the purpose for which they were designed.
Certain requirements of this International Standard are specifically dictated by overwing access to doors of certain aircraft types, and might not apply to other aircraft types. However, the intent of this International Standard is that any vehicle capable of reaching the upper deck of very large capacity aircraft (VLCA) shall be able to safely handle this specific situation.