IGHC

IATA’s Ground Handling Initiatives

Colin Temple, Manager of Airport and Inflight Services at IATA, provides an update on services and ground handling initiatives being led by the association.

The IATA Simplifying the Business (StB) initiative has impact on many areas of the aviation industry including, of course, ground handling. All of these issues will be addressed at the 2006 IATA Ground Handling Council Annual Meeting. Further information on all of the StB activities can be found on the website www.iata.org/simplistic

IATA Ground Safety

Costs generated due to aircraft damage during ground operations run to billions of dollars each year. The IATA Ground Damage Prevention Initiative has the goal to reduce aircraft ground damage by 50 per cent by 2010. In order to achieve this goal, IATA has run various projects, training courses and workshops.

There is a requirement to have a structured approach to safety in order to manage risk. A Safety Management System is a key element for all companies. The IATA Airport Handling Manual contains a complete chapter on safety. Part of the safety management system described in AHM 610 is training. Having a skilled and knowledgeable workforce plays a crucial role in establishing and sustaining a safety culture within your organisation.

Training

IATA's Training and Development Institute has specifically designed several safety courses for ground operations personnel. Addressing the essential elements of day-to-day operational safety, these courses range from Basic Airside Safety to Airline Emergency Planning and Response Management.They are available in-company, classroom and e-learning. Let our training specialists and industry experts teach you how to achieve optimum levels of airside safety... and decrease those aircraft damages.

The Station Ground Handling Management course conducted by the IATA Airport and Inflight Services team remains popular. This year’s two-week course will be held in Geneva from 20th November. Including a total of sixteen topics across the whole spectrum of ground handling management, it provides a challenge to both developing managers and experienced campaigners alike. As with all IATA courses, this one can be customised and produced in-house for you. Several in-house versions of this course were delivered over the past year.

For more information on these courses and the scope of training offered by IATA, see our website www.iata.org/training

IATA Standard Ground Handling Agreement Training

Contrary to popular belief, the IATA team does not sit in Geneva coming up with ideas to revise the IATA Standard Ground Handling Agreement (SGHA). The SGHA is reviewed by the industry, specifically by the Aviation Ground Services Agreements Working Group(or AGSA WG). Membership of the AGSA WG is open to all IATA members and IATA Ground Handling Council members. Contact us for more information.

Who trained your staff in the use of the SGHA? We have discovered that many people using the SGHA did not get any formal training. Not to mention refresher training. The SGHA Training Programme has been updated for 2004 version. You can find details on this manual and all other IATA products at www.iataonline.com

IATA provides training workshops on the SGHA at least twice per year (in May at IGHC meeting venue and in November in Geneva). In addition we provide in-house SGHA training workshops. So, whether you area seasoned expert, or an SGHA newcomer, check our website for details of the next workshop, or contact us at ighc@iata.org for details on in-house workshops.

Aviation English Solution

Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers in international operations whose first language is not English must be proficient at ICAO’s operational level 4. In order to offer various training options globally, IATA has partnered with Berlitz, the international language school to provide Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers with the following three-step solution:

• Assessment to determine English proficiency;
• Individualised training programme;
• Testing to certify proficiency

Of course, ground handling has a requirement for communication in English too, particularly for those working in the manoeuvring area. How do you currently assess the level of language proficiency of your employees? For more information on the IATA solution, see our website www.iata.org/aviation english or contact atdi@iata.org

Business Intelligence

If you are a service provider to airlines, how do you gather information on the schedules of your potential customers?

The SRS Analyser is an online query tool designed to access SRS data, for market analysis and research. It brings worldwide airline passenger schedule information from the SRS to the fingertips of industry analysts, be they Airline Schedulers and Planners,Airport Business Developers and Aviation Industry service providers.

The SRS Analyser Internet-based platform makes extracting and manipulating the data both fast and easy, through ready to use pre-defined reports, or customised queries. It allows users to access accurate data, 24 hours per day, right on their desktop. There are no limits to the number of queries a user can run in a given period. The source SRS (SSIM) data is updated weekly, and it contains five years of data history and six months of future data.

You can find out more about this planning tool at the Innovata booth at Ground Handling 2006 exhibition in Istanbul.

Consultancy Services

IATA’s Consulting Services deliver tailor-made business solutions to Airlines, Airports, Civil Aviation Authorities and Service Providers As the International Air Transport Association, we have a unique perspective on the challenges faced within the industry. For more than60 years now, IATA has been working with airlines, cargo operators, airports,handling service providers, ANS providers,manufacturers and civil aviation authorities to meet their strategic and business objectives.

Our objective is to help you compete successfully by providing you with the foundation for achieving required performance standards through sound planning and development. Our hands-on experience enables us to support your organisation at the strategic, operational, technical and organisational levels.

Insider Advantage

As the collective voice of more than 270 of the world's airlines, we can offer you the type of data and expertise that is essential for developing sound business solutions. No other organisation can offer this type of comprehensive, unbiased service.

You benefit from the international knowledge and experience of our team of specialists, who can assist you in a wide range of areas. We become part of your team in the true sense of a successful partnership.

As IATA is present in more than 90 countries, you benefit from international best practices that are adapted locally to your corporate culture.

Delivering Results

As part of our business culture, we consider the transfer of knowledge important, crucial and fundamental. We impart to you and your team more than reports, we deliver what is essential for you to carry out recommendations and plans. Ground Handling Projects Here are just some examples of ground handling consultancy projects undertaken by IATA in the recent past in all corners of the world:

• Management restructure and review of processes for passenger handling unit of a major carrier;
• Development of the ground operations manual(GOM) for a carrier;
• Tender and selection process for a new handling company for civil aviation authority;
• Review of business plan for planned new ground handling company;
• Airside safety and handling quality audits for carriers, handlers and airports;
• Implementation of AHM 804 system to measure performance of service level agreements;
• Design, implementation and training of a quality assurance surveillance system for an international organisation’s overseas operation.

For more details the website is www.iata.org/consulting or contact your nearest IATA office.