Aircraft ground handling

Overview

Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, handling agents or even to another airline. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), conservative estimates indicate airlines outsource more than 50 per cent of the ground handling that takes place at the world's airports. Ground handling addresses the many service requirements of an airliner between the time it arrives at a terminal gate and the time it departs on its next flight. Speed, efficiency, and accuracy 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). Faster turnarounds for lower ground times are correlated to better profits.

Airlines with less-frequent service or fewer resources at a particular location sometimes subcontract ground handling or on-call aircraft maintenance to another airline, as it is a short-term cheaper alternative to setting up its own ground handling or maintenance capabilities.

Airlines may participate in an industry-standard Mutual Assistance Ground Service Agreement (MAGSA). The MAGSA is published by the Air Transport Association (the current version is from 1981) and is used by airlines to assess prices for maintenance and support to aircraft at so-called MAGSA Rates, which are updated annually based on changes in the U.S. Producer Price Index. Airlines may choose to contract for ground handling services under the terms of a Standard Ground Handling Agreement (SGHA) published in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airport Handling Manual. Airlines may also contract for ground handling services under non-standard terms.

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 described below.

Aircraft appearance and provisioning

Services related to aircraft cleanliness and passenger comfort:

• Cabin cleaning – cleaning seats, galleys, and lavatories. Resetting the cabin (folding seatbelts, uniform seat and window shade position) to appear untouched.
• Lavatory service – exterior service of lavatory by draining and filling of waste tanks.
• Provisioning – replacing literature, blankets, pillows, and consumable supplies.
• Security search – searching aircraft for prohibited items as required by airline policy or regulatory requirement.
• Water service – exterior service of aircraft water system by filling tank with potable water for use inflight.

Catering

Main article: Catering

Catering includes the unloading of unused food and drink from the aircraft, and the loading of fresh food and drink for passengers and crew. In flight airline meals are delivered at the seats in airline service trolleys. Empty or trash-filled trolley from the previous flight are replaced with fresh ones. Meals are prepared mostly on the ground in order to minimize the amount of preparation (apart from chilling or reheating) required in flight.

While some airlines provide their own catering, others have either owned catering companies in the past and divested themselves of the companies, or have outsourced their catering to third-party companies. Airline catering sources include the following companies:

• Airline Services & Logistics PLC(EPZE)
• Atlas Catering (Royal Air Maroc)
• Cara Operations
• Cathay Pacific Catering Services (Cathay Pacific)
• DHL Supply Chain
• Gate Gourmet
• KLM Catering Services (KLM)
• LSG Sky Chefs
• Sky Cafe’
• Q Catering (Qantas)
• SATS Food
• Servair
• Thai Catering Services (Thai Airways)

Ramp service

This includes services on the ramp or apron, such as:

• Guiding the aircraft into and out of the parking position (by way of aircraft marshalling),
• Towing with pushback tractors
• Pre-Conditioned Air and Heating
• Airstart units (for starting engines)
• Luggage handling, usually by means of beltloaders and baggage carts
• Gate checked luggage, often handled on the tarmac as passengers disembark
• Air cargo handling, usually by means of cargo dollies and cargo loaders.
• Ground power (so that engines need not be running to provide aircraft power on the ground)
• Passenger stairs (used instead of an aerobridge or airstairs, some budget airlines use both to improve turnaround speed)
• PIGS (Passenger Integrated Guidance System), a retractable barrier, is used to ensure passengers do not walk underneath the wings
• Wheelchair lifts, if required
• Deicing

Passenger service

This includes services inside the airport terminal such as:

• Providing check-in counter services for the passengers departing on the customer airlines.
• Providing gate arrival and departure services. The agents are required to meet a flight on arrival as well as provide departure services including boarding passengers and closing the flight.
• Staffing the transfer counters, customer service counters and airline lounges.

Field operation service

This service dispatches the aircraft, maintains communication with the rest of the airline operation at the airport and with Air Traffic Control.

List of notable handling agents

Asia

Turkey

• Jetmate Aviation

[[Bangladesh]]

• BGD Biman Bangladesh Airlines

[[India]]

• IND Air India Airport Services Limited – all Indian airports – presently providing services at 74 airports in India
• IND Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited – Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Mangalore, Cochin
• IND LAS Ground Force Handling – Goa, Udaipur, Bagdogra
• IND Bhadra International India Pvt Ltd – Chennai
• IND Bird Worldwide Flight Services Pvt Ltd – Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi
• IND Livewel Aviation – Mumbai, Delhi
• IND Globe Ground India – Ahmadabad, Bangalore
• IND Indo Thai Airport Management Services Pvt Ltd – Amritsar, Lucknow, Mohali
• IND Agile Airport Services Pvt Ltd – presently providing services at 8 airports in India

[[Hong Kong]]

• HKG Cathay Pacific
• HKG Hong Kong Airport Services (parent company: Cathay Pacific)
• HKG Jardine Aviation Services (parent company: Jardine Matheson)
• HKG SATS HK (parent company: Hong Kong Airlines)
• HKG United Airlines

[[Japan]]

• JPN All Nippon Airways
• JPN JAL Ground Service
• JPN Japan Airport Ground Handling
• JPN Japan Airport Service Co., Ltd.
• JPN International Air Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd.

[[Korea]]

• KOR Korea Airport Service
• KOR Asiana Airport Service
• KOR DongBo Airport Service

[[Laos]]

• LAO Andaman Aviation Services

[[Nepal]]

• NPL Nepal Airlines – Kathmandu

[[Pakistan]]

• PAK Pakistan International Airlines
• PAK Shaheen Airport Services (Pvt) Ltd
• PAK Gerry’s dnata (Pvt) Ltd
• PAK Royal Airport Services (Pvt) Ltd

[[Singapore]]

• SIN SATS Ltd
• SIN dnata Singapore
• SIN Universal Aviation

[[Philippines]]

• Philippines Airmach Aviation
• Philippines 1 Aviation
• Philippines dnata Philippines
• Philippines MacroAsia Airport Services Corporation
• Philippines MDFS PHILIPPINES
• Philippines Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions

[[Taiwan]]

• TWN China Airlines Co., Ltd.
• TWN Taoyuan International Airport Services Co., Ltd.
• TWN Taiwan Airport Service Co., Ltd.
• TWN Evergreen Airlines Service
• TWN Taiwan Sky Ground Service Co., Ltd.

[[Thailand]]

• THA Wingspan Services Co., Ltd.
• THA BAGS Ground Services Co., Ltd.
• THA Andaman Aviation Services
• THA AOTGA AOT Ground Aviation Services Co., Ltd.

The Caribbean

[[Bahamas]]

• Bahamas Earco Elite FBO

[[Barbados]]

• Barbados Caribbean Aircraft Handling Co., Ltd.

[[Jamaica]]

• Jamaica AJAS Aviation Services
• Jamaica Eulen America
• Jamaica GCG Ground Services Jamaica
• Jamaica Jamaica Dispatch Services Ltd.

[[ St. Vincent and the Grenadines]]

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean Aviation Management, Inc.

Europe

[[Belgium]]

• BEL Aviapartner

[[Cyprus]]

• CYP LGS Handling
• CTT Aviation Ltd.
• CYP SWISSPORT

[[Denmark]]

• DEN SAS Ground Handling

[[Finland]]

• FIN AIRPRO
• FIN Aviator

[[France]]

• FRA Groupe Europe Handling
• FRA 3S Alyzia
• FRA Aviapartner
• FRA Ladybird Ground Services
• FRA Samsic Assistance
• FRA Servair
• FRA Elyxan Aviation

[[Greece]]

• Greece Goldair
• Greece Skyserv
• Greece Swissport hellas

[[Ireland]]

• Ireland Sky Handling Partner

[[Italy]]

• Italy Airport Handling
• Italy Aviapartner
• Italy Aviation Services
• Italy Ags Handling

[[Latvia]]

• Latvia HAVAS Ground Handling Co.

[[Lithuania]]

• LTU Baltic Ground Services
• LTU Litcargus

[[Netherlands]]

• NLD KLM Ground Services
• NLD Aviapartner
• NLD dnata
• NLD Menzies
• NLD Swissport
• NLD Viggo

[[Norway]]

• NOR Menzies Aviation
• NOR SAS Ground Handling

[[Poland]]

• POL Baltic Ground Services
• POL LS Airport Services
• POL Welcome Airport Services

[[Portugal]]

• POR Groundforce Portugal
• POR Portway

[[Russia]]

• RUS Sheremetyevo Handling
• RUS Domodedovo Airport Handling and others. Usually each airport in Russia has it own ground handling company

[[Sweden]]

• SWE SAS Ground Handling
• SWE AVIATOR Ground Handling
• SWE Menzies Aviation

[[Switzerland]]

• CHE Swissport
• CHE dnata
• CHE AAS

[[Turkey]]

• TUR Turkish Ground Services
• TUR HAVAS Ground Handling Co.
• TUR Celebi Ground Handling Inc.
• TUR FUGO Ground Handling Inc.

[[United Kingdom]]

• UK Airline Services
• UK American Airlines Handling (subsidiary of American Airlines)
• UK Aviator Nordic
• UK Azzurra / Premiere Handling
• UK Blue Handling (joint venture between Ryanair and OmniServ)
• UK British Airways
• UK Cobalt Ground Solutions
• UK DHL
• UK Dnata
• UK Gatwick Ground Services (subsidiary of British Airways)
• UK Jet2 Handling
• UK Menzies Aviation
• UK Signature Flight Support
• UK Star Handling
• UK Swissport GB
• UK World Flight Services (WFS)
• UK Premiere Executive Handling Ltd
• UK ASC Handling Services

Middle East

• EGY ASE – Egypt Member ASE Group
• UAE ASE – UAE Member Of ASE Group
• Morocco SE – Morocco Member Of ASE Group
• EGY New Star Aviation Services
• UAE dnata (Also active in other countries)
• EGY Egypt Air Ground Services
• KSA Saudi Private Aviation-SPA
• KSA Saudia Cargo
• KSA Saudia Ground Services-SGS
• KSA HAVAS Ground Handling Co.
• Oman Oman Air
• PAK Shaheen Airport Services
• PAK Royal Airport Services
• PAK Gerry's dnata
• PAK Airways Flight Support Services
• Bahrain BAS (Bahrain Airport Services)
• Qatar QAS (Qatar Aviation Services)
• ISR El Al
• ISR Laufer GHI
• ISR QAS (Quality Airport Services)
• ISR Aerohandling

North and Central America

[[Canada]]

• CAN Swissport
• CAN Airport Terminal Services (ATS)
• CAN Menzies Aviation
• CAN GTA Dnata
• CAN Air North
• CAN Strategic Aviation
• CAN Global Aviation
• CAN Ironman Holdings
• CAN Allied Aviation
• CAN Air Canada

[[Cuba]]

• CUB ECASA

[[Mexico]]

• MEX Kion de Mexico
• MEX Aeromexico Servicios

[[United States]]

• US Alliance Ground International and subsidiaries :* Airport Terminal Services (ATS) :* Total Airport Services (TAS)
• US Dnata
• US G2 Secure Staff
• US GAT Airline Ground Support
• US McGee Air Services
• US Menzies Aviation
• US Swissport
• US Trego/Dugan Aviation
• US Unifi Aviation
• US United Ground Express
• US Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) :* WFS Express

South America

[[Peru]]

• PER Swissport
• PER Talma Servicios Aeroportuarios

[[Chile]]

• CHI Swissport
• CHI Acciona Airport Services
• CHI Menzies Aviation

[[Uruguay]]

• Uruguay Candysur S.A.

Oceania

[[Australia]]

• AUS Swissport
• AUS Oceania Ground Force
• AUS Dnata
• AUS Menzies Ground Handling

References

References

1. International Air Transport Association. "Ground Handling". International Air Transport Association.
2. (2009). "Improvements to ground handling operations and their benefits to direct operating costs". Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.
3. (May 8, 2017). "The correlation between airline ground time and profits". AirInsight.
4. International Air Transport Association. "Airport Handling Manual (AHM)". International Air Transport Association.
5. (27 November 2022). "How it works: the aircraft turnaround – AeroTime". Aerotime.
6. "FBO, Ground Handling in Singapore (WSSL)".
7. "Services assistance aéroport: Handling, assistance en escale – Samsic".
8. "London Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR)".
9. (15 October 2018). "Ryanair Appoints Handler at London Stansted Airport – Ryanair's Corporate Website".
10. "Cobalt Ground Solutions".
11. "GATWICK GROUND SERVICES LIMITED – Overview (free company information from Companies House)".
12. "Signature BHX | Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at Birmingham Airport".