Phoenix 24
A system designed to reduce costs and turnaround times is creating a measurable passenger-safety concern.
ROME, ITALY
Italy’s National Agency for Flight Safety has identified a disproportionately high number of passenger falls from the forward integrated stairs used on Ryanair’s Boeing 737 aircraft. Of 104 boarding and disembarkation falls reported in Italy between 2023 and 2025, 85 occurred on these retractable stairs, representing approximately 82 percent of the total.
The percentage is significant because Ryanair transported only about 26 to 27 percent of Italy’s air passengers during the period. The remaining airlines, serving approximately 73 percent of passengers, recorded 19 falls involving airport-provided stairs. Data collected directly from airport operators differed slightly, but still showed that the fall rate associated with the integrated system was at least twice as high.
The pattern extends beyond Italy. Ryanair registered 489 stair-related falls across its network from 2021, including 360 incidents on the forward integrated stairs. The Italian agency calculated that falls on this equipment occurred approximately three times more frequently than on mobile stairways operated by airports.
Boeing offers the retractable stairs as an optional feature allowing airlines to board and disembark passengers without waiting for ground equipment. This reduces handling costs and accelerates aircraft turnaround. However, the system is only about 61 centimetres wide, contains 12 relatively high steps and descends at an angle of approximately 35 degrees. Its first step is also asymmetrical because of the aircraft’s fuselage.
Investigators attributed individual falls primarily to human factors, including passenger inattention, carrying luggage in both hands and failing to use the handrail. No investigation has concluded that the stairs contain a technical defect. Nevertheless, their narrower dimensions, restricted tread area and steeper configuration may increase the consequences of momentary loss of balance.
Spanish investigators previously asked Boeing to redesign the system and recommended that Ryanair use airport-provided stairs instead. Ryanair has retained the integrated equipment but strengthened its procedures. Cabin crews must now repeat instructions to keep one hand free and use the handrail in the languages of both the departure and destination countries. The airline has also introduced specific recurrent training for cabin personnel. Italy’s safety agency endorsed the earlier recommendations but issued no additional ones, deciding first to evaluate whether Ryanair’s new measures reduce the number of incidents.
La verdad es estructura, no ruido. / Truth is structure, not noise.