VRR designs ergonomic AKN FSK container for Air France

Air France was receiving frequent reports of injuries due to airline crew loading aircraft wheels and other related heavy tools on and off its transport containers. The French flag carrier turned to VRR to design an ergonomic, user-friendly, easy-to-handle container. One that wouldn’t risk the health of its crew.

Confronted with a problem

The AKN FSK (flight spare kit) container is a half-width, lower-deck container and, by default, forkliftable. Its easy handling, mobility and broad aircraft compatibility makes it a favourite of transporters. Nonetheless, lifting heavy and cumbersome tools and spare parts in and out of the container is a strenuous job, hence the injuries. So we set about customising the interior by creating a main compartment to hold two wheels in upright position and an outboard side with three adjustable shelves to hold related tools and spare parts, including the weighty jack.

Working out the solution

The door to the main compartment was given an integrated ramp and a cover so that the wheels can be rolled on and off with ease. Once installed inside the container, each wheel can be secured by three straps. The outboard side, which is separated from the main compartment by a net, can be accessed via a cover hatch. This makes loading the jack onto a forklift truck much more manageable. Both door and hatch can be locked to prevent unauthorised access. 

More information

Air France is delighted with the results, and it’s already receiving positive feedback from its crew. So if you’d like to know know more about the AKN FSK container, please contact us or visit our product family page of specialised containers where you can read more about customised solutions such as this ergonomic flight spare kit container.