Aircraft ground handling

In aviation, aircraft ground handling or ground operations defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and parked at a terminal gate of an airport.

Overview

Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, handling agents or even to another airline. According to the International Air Transport Association, 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. 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. The MAGSA is published by the Air Transport Association 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 published in the International Air Transport Association 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 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

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 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
Atlas Catering
Cara Operations
Cathay Pacific Catering Services
DHL Supply Chain
Gate Gourmet
KLM Catering Services
LSG Sky Chefs
Sky Cafe’
Q Catering
SATS Food
Servair
Thai Catering Services

Ramp service

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

Guiding the aircraft into and out of the parking position,
Towing with pushback tractors
Pre-Conditioned Air and Heating
Airstart units
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
Passenger stairs
PIGS, 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

[Bangladesh]

Biman Bangladesh Airlines

[India]

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