Aviramp vying for ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ title

A Telford-based aviation manufacturer has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s most prestigious business honours.

Aviramp, which makes step-free boarding ramps used at airports worldwide, is among eight companies shortlisted for the Business Innovation of the Year title at the NatWest-sponsored British Business Awards.

The ceremony takes place at Edinburgh’s EICC on April 30 and is set to feature appearances from actor George Clooney, Sir Bob Geldof and co-hosts Rob Brydon and Elaine C Smith. 

The event aims to raise more than £1 million for homelessness charity Social Bite.

Aviramp chief executive Graham Corfield said: “We have enjoyed significant growth since the end of the Covid pandemic and to be in the running for such an illustrious award as this is the icing on the cake.

“Our sales are up 68 per cent in the past three years, our export performance has increased more than tenfold since 2021, and we have more than doubled our headcount since 2022. There are now more than 950 of our ramps in use around the world.”

Aviramp holds the King’s Award for International Trade, was listed in both the Sunday Times 100 and the Manufacturer Top 100 last year, and won two prizes at the 2025 Shropshire Business Awards.

The company’s products include boarding ramps and bridges for remotely parked aircraft, offering wheelchair users and passengers with reduced mobility a dignified alternative to stairs and ambulifts. 

Its newly launched ChairLifter is a solar-powered lift designed to reduce damage to electric mobility aids during flights.