Passenger Boarding Bridge Interface (PBBI)
Complete modular docking interface that seals a boarding bridge to any aircraft fuselage — with optional touchless operation and full retrofit compatibility.
The Hübner Passenger Boarding Bridge Interface (PBBI) is the complete forward-end assembly of a passenger boarding bridge: the structural frame, folding overhead canopy, flexible sliding floor, and associated drive and adjustment mechanisms that together form the sealed transition zone between bridge cabin and aircraft door threshold. Where a standalone folding canopy addresses only the overhead seal, the PBBI is the integrated system — all five interface components engineered and supplied as a unit.
The sliding floor element extends up to 400 mm across its full width to close the gap between bridge floor and aircraft sill, with a rotatable swivel adapter that pivots laterally up to 6° to accommodate aircraft door inclination and fuselage curvature. An adjustable tilt-correction mechanism compensates for varying cabin heights and aircraft inclination angles. Critically, the floor unit advances only after the bridge undercarriage has stopped at a safe standoff distance, preventing fuselage contact from bridge mass and eliminating the risk of structural damage during docking.
Contact pressure from both canopy and floor is held significantly below the maximum levels permitted by relevant EN standards, protecting composite fuselage panels and door surrounds on modern aircraft. For wide-body types, this geometry also enables damage-free opening of large aircraft doors once docked — a known operational issue with older, less-precise interface designs.
The PBBI is available in contactless and soft-touch variants, with optional floor sensors and floor heating for cold-weather operation. Hübner cites more than 8,000 systems in worldwide service and over 150 bridgehead installations at airports including Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva, and Hanover. The system retrofits directly onto existing PBB cabins from other manufacturers — delivered disassembled for economical freight — making it a viable upgrade path for airports with older gate infrastructure rather than a whole-bridge replacement programme.
Technical specifications.
| Sliding floor extension | Up to 400 mm |
| Swivel adapter lateral pivot | Up to 6 ° |
| Aircraft compatibility | EMB 145 through Airbus A380 (all standard types) |
| Contact pressure | Significantly below EN standard maximum limits |
| Docking variants | Contactless / soft-touch |
| Canopy fire standard | NFPA 415 and major international fire safety standards |
| Systems in service worldwide | >8,000 |
| Retrofit compatibility | PBBs from other manufacturers; modular shipment |
| Optional features | Floor sensors, floor heating, touchless docking |
Use cases.
- ›New-build PBB installations at greenfield terminals requiring a complete, certified docking interface
- ›Retrofit upgrade of existing boarding bridges at established airports without full gate replacement
- ›Wide-body gates (A350, A380, B777, B787) where precise contact-pressure control and door-clearance geometry are critical
- ›Cold-weather airports where heated floor elements and low-temperature-rated materials prevent operational downtime
- ›Airports standardising on touchless docking to reduce aircraft skin damage and maintenance claims
- ›PBB OEM integrations requiring a compatible, standards-compliant interface module from a specialist supplier