Prague – The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) is focusing on standards, digitalization and
addressing the skilled labor shortage to build resilience and ensure
long-term sustainability post pandemic for ground handling activities.
“There will be challenges as ground handling operations ramp up to
meet growing demand as the aviation industry’s recovery from COVID-19
progresses. Overcoming labor shortages, ensuring safety with strict
adherence to global standards and digitalization and modernization will
be critical to achieving a scalable restart,” said Monika Mejstrikova,
IATA’s Director of Ground Operations, speaking at the 33rd IATA Ground
Handling Conference (IGHC), which opened in Prague today.
Labor
Ground handling providers are facing severe skills shortages and challenges in retaining and recruiting staff.
“Many skilled employees have left the industry and are not coming
back. And recruiting, training and accrediting new staff can take up to
six months. So, it is critical that we retain current staff and find
more efficient ways of onboarding new personnel,” said Mejstrikova, who
also outlined a number of priority solutions.
- To retain skilled staff, governments should include ground handlers in wage subsidy programs
- To speed up training processes, the use of competency-based training, assessments and online training formats should be increased, and training requirements harmonized
- To increase the efficiency of staff utilization, a training passport should be developed that would mutually recognize skills across ground handlers, airlines and/or airports
Safety
Global standards are the foundation for safe operations. Two key
tools for ground handlers are the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM)
and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO).
IGOM: IATA called for the ground handling
industry to accelerate the global adoption of IGOM to ensure worldwide
operational consistency and safety. To support this, IATA has launched
the IGOM portal. A user-friendly online platform where airlines and
ground handlers can share the results of their gap analysis between
company procedures and IGOM, offering a global benchmark for
harmonization and driving efficiency.
ISAGO: IATA urged governments to recognize
ISAGO in their regulatory frameworks for oversight. This will deliver
significant benefits, including greater harmonization, Safety Management
System (SMS) implementation by the ground handlers, and reduction of
duplicate audits that providers are facing.
“The aim is for global adoption of IGOM and ISAGO. The IATA online
portal will give a boost to this effort,” said Mejstrikova.
Digitalization and Modernization
Digitalization can drive process improvements that will be critical
to improving both sustainability and productivity. A key driver of
digitalization/modernization is the CEDAR initiative (Connected
Ecological Digital Autonomous Ramp) which focuses on:
- Digitalization of aircraft turn around
- Modernization of ground support equipment and processes
- Enhanced stand design
“Harnessing data to improve safety and efficiency is crucial for the ground handling industry. CEDAR is the blueprint to address this. The overall aim is to be able to make data-based operational decisions that will cut costs, improve performance and contribute to the industry’s net zero commitment,” said Mejstrikova.
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