Historical reasons
Whether you board the plane directly from the terminal via a gangway or are brought directly to the plane with a shuttle, the machine, regardless of the model, is always boarded from the left side. The reason for this is historical. This habit was probably adopted from seafaring. The aviation expert Heinrich Grobongardt explains to Travelbook: “Ships are traditionally boarded from the left, i.e. from the port side, also seen in the direction of travel. This has also been adopted for airplanes.” As a practical reason, it could be said that the pilot sitting on the left would find it easier to get the plane as close to the terminal building as possible.
security reasons
It is also perfectly sensible to let passengers board from the same side everywhere. This reduces the risk of passengers interfering with the staff doing maintenance work or loading the aircraft when boarding. Also, the cargo hold of most planes is on the right. Accordingly, many vehicles are driving on the right side of the aircraft. Boarding from the left reduces the risk of passengers being injured by service vehicles.
Maritime and Aviation Traditions
Climbing from the left is not the only tradition inherited from seafaring for aviation. The designation of the person at the head of the crew, the captain, also has its origins in seafaring. The same applies to the position lights. As with seafaring, these have the colors red, green and white in air transport.
E. Schmal / Editor finanzen.net
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