Telford boarding ramp manufacturer joined forces with the American airline to ensure elderly heroes disembarked with safety and dignity at Deauville-Normandie Airport
The founder of award-winning aircraft boarding ramp manufacturer Aviramp has paid tribute to its “special relationship” with Delta Air Lines after the two businesses partnered to safely return US World War II veterans to Normandy for the fifth consecutive year.
Graham Corfield, who designed the world’s first step-free mobile aviation boarding ramp, was at Deauville-Normandie Airport on June 3 to welcome veterans as they disembarked Delta flight DL9994, a Boeing 767-300 wide-body jet that had made the non-stop transatlantic crossing from Atlanta.
Greeting the veterans at the foot of the ramp were First Lady of France Brigitte Macron, US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, and Best Defense Foundation co-founder Donnie Edwards.
A relationship built on shared responsibility
Graham said: “What began as a message from Virginie and a meeting of our two teams around a table in a restaurant in Deauville has grown into one of the most meaningful relationships this company has ever had.
“This is a UK-US special relationship like no other, built on a shared determination to make sure these incredible men can return to the beaches where they made history and disembark with the dignity and welcome they so richly deserve.”
The Aviramp, donated to the airport in 2025, was central to managing one of the key logistical challenges the small regional airport presented. With rain and wind sweeping across the tarmac, its slip-proof, stair-free surface proved critical for veterans with reduced mobility.
Delta’s managing director of operations for EMEA, Christine Marchand-Pardo, whose mother was a member of the French Resistance, said: “For all of us, the magic happens the moment that door opens and we see our US veterans in front of us.
“Their energy, their humour, their spirit: it’s unforgettable.”
Aviramp is the global leader in its sector, with around 950 ramps now in operation worldwide.
