Aircraft Ground Handling Online Guide. Can you handle it?
The most interesting website about the world of aircraft ground handling.
- AirportFreak™
Icelandair Boeing 757 being serviced
at Oslo-Gardermoen Airport
Aircraft Ground Handling
In aviation, aircraft ground handling
is the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and parked at
a terminal gate or at a parking spot/stand of an airport. Many airlines
currently operating across the whole world subcontract ground handling
to an airport or a handling agent, or even to another airline. Ground
handling addresses the many service requirements of an aircraft between
the time that aircraft arrives at a terminal gate/stand and the time it
departs on its next flight. Speed, efficiency and punctuality are
important in ground handling services in order to minimize the turnaround time
(the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the
gate/stand) but the most important aspect of aircraft ground handling,
for sure is safety.
All air carriers have two basic sets of ground times that are applicable to their operations:
scheduled transit/turnaround times
minimum transit/turnaround times
These
times are designed to meet operational requirements and are dependent
upon a number of factors, however it should be clearly understood that
when establishing ground times there should be no compromise to safety.
The determination of aircraft ground times will require the
establishment of a "critical path". The critical path is that
activity or combination of direct dependent activities that take the
greatest time to complete. In most instances the critical path will
consist of the passenger and aircraft cabin activities, i.e. passenger
disembarkation, cabin cleaning and passenger embarkation. There are
circumstances when the fueling operation may become the "critical path",
e.g. due to fuel load or the capacity of the fueling system. Other
activities, such as unloading, loading and aircraft servicing can
normally be performed without an impact on or from the "critical path"
activities. A "time line" that shows the time necessary to perform all
the activities and processes in the handling of an aircraft should be
developed. These activities/processes should consider:
availability of resources
technical capabilities
facility capacity
amount and type of load, bulk or containerized
time personnel need to perform the required tasks
working conditions, weather etc.
catering requirements
cleaning requirements
fueling requirements
maintenance requirements
fleet utilization
airport/ATC slots
quality of service
at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport
Most ground services are not directly related to the actual flying of the aircraft and instead involve other tasks. The major categories of ground handling services are:
Ground administration and supervision
- representation and liaison services with local authorities or any other entity, disbursements on behalf of the airport user and provision of office space for its representatives
- load control, messaging and telecommunications
- handling, storage and administration of unit load devices
- any other supervision services before, during or after the flight and any other administrative service requested by the airport user
Passenger handling
Passenger handling comprises any kind of assistance to arriving, departing, transfer or transit passengers, including checking tickets and travel documents, registering baggage and carrying it to the sorting area.
Baggage handling
Baggage handling comprises handling baggage in the sorting area, sorting it, preparing it for departure, loading it on to and unloading it from the devices designed to move it from the aircraft to the sorting area and vice versa, as well as transporting baggage from the sorting area to the reclaim area.
Freight / Cargo and mail handling
- for freight: physical handling of export, transfer and import freight, handling of related documents, customs procedures and implementation of any security procedure agreed between the parties or required by the circumstances
- for mail: physical handling of incoming and outgoing mail, handling of related documents and implementation of any security procedure agreed between the parties or required by the circumstances
Ramp handling
- marshaling the aircraft on the ground at arrival and departure
- assistance to aircraft parking and provision of suitable devices
- communication between the aircraft and the air-side supplier of services
- the loading and unloading of the aircraft, including the provision and operation of suitable means, as well as the transport of crew and passengers between the aircraft and the terminal, and baggage transport between the aircraft and the terminal
- the provision and operation of appropriate units for engine starting
- the moving of the aircraft at arrival and departure, as well as the provision and operation of suitable devices
- the transport, loading on to and unloading from the aircraft of food and beverages
Towing of a British Airways Boeing 747
at London-Heathrow Airport
Aircraft services
- the external and internal cleaning of the aircraft, and the toilet and water services
- the cooling and heating of the cabin, the removal of snow and ice, the deicing of the aircraft
- the rearrangement of the cabin with suitable cabin equipment, the storage of this equipment
Fuel and oil handling
- the organization and execution of fueling and defueling operations, including the storage of fuel and the control of the quality and quantity of fuel deliveries
- the replenishing of oil and other fluids
Aircraft maintenance
- routine services performed before flight
- non-routine services requested by the airport user
- the provision and administration of spare parts and suitable equipment
- the request for or reservation of a suitable parking and/or hangar space
Flight operations and crew administration
- preparation of the flight at the departure airport or at any other point
- in-flight assistance, including re-dispatching if needed
- post-flight activities
- crew administration
Surface transport
- the organization and execution of crew, passenger, baggage, freight and mail transport between different terminals of the same airport, but excluding the same transport between the aircraft and any other point within the perimeter of the same airport
- any special transport requested by the airport user
Catering services
- liaison with suppliers and administrative management
- storage of food and beverages and of the equipment needed for their preparation
- cleaning of this equipment
- preparation and delivery of equipment as well as of bar and food supplies
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