Which aircraft have built-in airstairs and how are they used?
Find which aircraft have built-in airstairs, how crews deploy them, and the key slide, clearance, loading and tail-tipping precautions.
Aircraft with built-in airstairs include many regional jets and turboprops, numerous business jets, and airliners such as the Boeing 727, specially equipped 737s, DC-9/MD-80, BAC One-Eleven, Fokker 70/100 and CRJ family. Crews deploy them after parking to board passengers without a jet bridge or mobile stairs.
Within our Aviation & Real-World Flying library, built-in airstairs means an external passenger stair carried permanently by the aircraft. It may fold out of a fuselage compartment, lower with the passenger door or form part of the door itself.
Which aircraft have built-in airstairs?
Built-in stairs are most common on aircraft designed to serve remote stands, regional airports or private terminals with limited ground equipment. Representative examples include:
| Aircraft category | Typical examples | Common arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Classic airliners | Boeing 727, selected Boeing 737s, DC-9/MD-80 and BAC One-Eleven | A retractable forward, aft or ventral stair stored separately from the passenger door |
| Regional jets | Bombardier CRJ series, Embraer ERJ 135/140/145, Fokker F28/70/100 and some BAe 146/Avro RJ configurations | The main entry door lowers as an airstair, or a stair retracts near the door |
| Regional turboprops | ATR 42/72, Dash 8/Q Series and Saab 340 | A hinged passenger door with integral steps and folding handrails |
| Business jets | Many Citation, Learjet, Gulfstream, Falcon, Challenger and Global aircraft | An airstair door that becomes the aircraft's entrance steps |
This is not a complete list, and the aircraft type alone does not confirm that stairs are fitted. Airstairs were optional on many airliners, could be deleted to save weight and maintenance, and may differ between individual aircraft in the same fleet. The aircraft's equipment list and operating documentation are the reliable sources.
For visual comparison, our FS2004 737-300 with deployable forward airstairs shows the separate retractable arrangement. The CRJ700 model with an operating door-stair demonstrates a door that lowers into the boarding position, while this MD-80 model showing its rear stair illustrates the distinctive aft installation.
How do crews deploy built-in airstairs?
Crews deploy an airstair only after the aircraft is parked, depressurised and secured, following the procedure for that exact installation. Some stairs are manual or spring-assisted; others use electrical or hydraulic power.
- Secure the aircraft. Set the parking brake and install the required aircraft chocks before boarding equipment is deployed. Ground staff normally wait for clearance that the engines and other hazards are safe.
- Make the door safe. Confirm that cabin differential pressure is zero. If the doorway has an evacuation slide, cabin crew must disarm it before opening the door; otherwise an accidental slide deployment can injure staff and block the stand.
- Clear the deployment area. Remove belt loaders, tugs, cones and other equipment from the stair's travel arc. Allow for the aircraft's height, ground slope and changes caused by loading or landing-gear strut movement.
- Deploy the stairs. Operate the approved handle, switch or manual mechanism. The order in which the door and stair move varies by aircraft, so a generic sequence must not replace the type-specific checklist.
- Inspect the installation. Check that the stair is fully extended, its locks or supports are engaged, handrails are raised, lighting is available and the treads are free of ice, fuel or other contamination.
- Control boarding and loading. Keep within the published occupancy and wind limits, and follow the operator's passenger and baggage sequence to protect the aircraft's centre of gravity.
- Stow and verify. After boarding, retract the handrails and stairs, close and lock every associated panel or door, and confirm the relevant cockpit or cabin indication before engine start or pushback.
If a powered stair stops part-way, crews use the approved manual-extension or retraction procedure. Forcing the mechanism can damage locks, cables or the pressure door and may leave an unsafe step gap.
When are built-in airstairs used instead of airport stairs?
Built-in stairs are chosen when self-sufficient boarding matters more than capacity or accessibility. They are particularly useful at remote stands, small outstations, charter destinations and private aviation terminals where a jet bridge or correctly sized mobile stair may not be available.
A jet bridge or ground-supplied stair is usually preferable for high passenger volumes, reduced-mobility access and protection from poor weather. Integral stairs tend to be narrow and relatively steep, add weight to the aircraft and require their own inspections and maintenance.
What are the main airstair safety risks?
The main hazards are accidental slide deployment, falls, contact with ground equipment and an aft centre-of-gravity shift. Several precautions are easily missed:
- Tail tipping: Rear-door boarding or unloading can move the centre of gravity aft, especially on long regional jets and rear-engined aircraft. Operators may prescribe a loading sequence, a tail stand or both.
- Incorrect clearance: A stair that appears clear when parked may strike equipment as it unfolds. Sloping ground can also make the first or last step unacceptably high.
- Partial extension: Passengers must not use stairs until all locks, supports and handrails are correctly positioned.
- Wind and contamination: Strong wind can affect a large airstair door, while wet or icy treads create an immediate slipping hazard. Published operating limits take priority over turnaround speed.
- Aircraft movement: Stairs must be fully stowed before pushback, taxi or flight. Built-in boarding stairs are not intended to be opened in the air.
An evacuation slide is not an airstair, even when attached to the same doorway. Slides provide rapid emergency escape, cargo ramps primarily support freight operations, and an internal staircase between cabin decks does not provide access from the ground.
In flight simulators, airstair operation is model-specific rather than universal. A standard door command may open the passenger door without animating the stairs; that usually means the add-on uses a separate control or does not model the mechanism, not that every real aircraft of that type lacked it.