There are three main types of aircraft handling: Passengers, cargo and a mix of passenger and cargo. Depending on different business models, as well as that of the airline, the airline handling operation takes place at various locations at the airport. It could be either at the airside, landside or cargo area. Similarly, depending on the type of activity, specific equipment is required, including cargo lift loaders, belts, steps, tractors, computers and communication radios.
Airport handling companies offer different ground handling services. For instance, the Ukrainian company Interavia offers a large range of services. This 6 min promotional video accurately describes the different ground handling services, some of which are the following:
- Passenger Check-in, support, transfer, and boarding
- Airport ticket office
- Baggage and Cargo Handling
- ULD (Unit Load Device) Handling
- Ramp Handling
- Aircraft Cleaning
- Catering Handling
- Aircraft ground deicing
- GSE Long Term Storage Procedures
For safety reasons aircraft handling is a strictly controlled process and is regulated at different levels: At Local level (the airport); at regional level (the country or region where the airports is located); and at international level with organizations such as ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) or IATA (International Air Transport Association), who aim to lead the industry towards improved safety and operational efficiency in ground handling by setting standards and working to solve problems within the sector (IATA, 2019).
The main purpose of handling is to optimize aircraft turnaround time safely. It has been further developed by low cost carriers (LCC’s), so they can achieve turnaround times of 25 to 35 minutes with the corresponding saving of having the aircraft spending more time in the air, as well as that of lower airport fees for the use of airport infrastructure.
Aircraft handling requires professional staff in order to operate smoothly. Failing to handle bags properly can lead a large number of missing bags as shown in Figure below, or long flight delays, can have an important impact on the airline’s reputation. Now that many passengers are active on social media, those failures can be quickly placed online with the possibility of going viral and having a negative effect on the airline.

Fig 3 – Uncontrolled baggage (Lost and Found)
An example of the effect social-media sharing of negative experiences can have on an airline’s reputation is the case of songwriter David Carrol’s guitar being broken on a United Airlines flight in 2008 followed by a negative experience at its customer service department inspired him to write a song entitled “United Broke my Guitar”. The song has been viewed more than 20 million times on YouTube (Jul 2020)
It is easy to appreciate the commercial and legal consequences that a video like the Worst Airlines Handling Video [4:11 min], could cause.
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Sources:
TBA