Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Aircraft Ground Handling PDF
Aircraft Ground Handling PDF
In aviation, aircraft ground handling defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at
a terminal gate of an airport.
Overview
A ground-handling tug pulls a British Airways Boeing 747-400 at London Heathrow Airport, England
Airbus A380-800 operated by Qatar Airways at London Heathrow Airport apron outside Terminal 4 with a wide range of
ground handling equipments around such as aircraft container, pallet loader, ULD, jet air starter, belt loader, pushback
tug, catering vehicles and dollies.
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.[1] 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).[2]
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.[citation needed] 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.[3] 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.
Cabin service
The primary aim of this service offering is to ensure passenger comfort. While cabin cleaning comprises the bulk of the
effort, it also includes tasks such as replenishing onboard consumables (soap, tissues, toilet paper, reading materials)
and washable items like pillows and blankets.
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. Airline meals are typically delivered 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 the air.
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)
• American Airlines
• Atlas Catering (Royal Air Maroc's catering service)
• Cara Operations
• Cathay Pacific's Cathay Pacific Catering Services
• Chelsea Food Services
• Gate Gourmet
• KLM's KLM Catering Services
• LSG Sky Chefs
• Q Catering (Qantas)
• Servair
• Thai Airways's Thai Catering Services
• United Airlines
Ramp service
Luggage being unloaded from a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757-200 at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Lavatory drainage
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
• Lavatory drainage
• Water cartage (typically non-potable for lavatory sink use)
• Air conditioning (more common for smaller aircraft)
• 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
• Catering trucks
• Refueling, which may be done with a refueling tanker truck or refueling pumper
• 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)
• Wheelchair lifts, if required
• Hydraulic mules (units that provide hydraulic power to an aircraft externally)
• Deicing
Passenger service
Boeing 737-900ER operated by Thai Lion Air at Gate 46, apron outside Pier 4 with a wide range of ground handling
equipments around such as aircraft container, pallet loader, ULD, jet air starter, belt loader, pushback tug, Refuelers and
dollies. Before took off operated flight 8538 to Hat Yai on 26 September 2015
Catering vehicle
Airbus A320-200 operated by Thai Smile, 3 June 2016, at Gate A3 Suvarnabhumi Airport, apron outside terminal with
ground handling equipment: aircraft container, pallet loader, ULD, jet air starter, belt loader, pushback tug, and dollies.
Dollies
A single dolly for aircraft cargo Unit Load Device, next to a group of dollies for loose luggage.
Those on the left are dollies for baggage unit load device (ULD). Those on the right are dollies for loose baggages.
A large dolly holding two aircraft cargo Unit Load Devices.
Chocks
Chocks
Chocks are used to prevent an aircraft from moving while parked at the gate or in a hangar. Chocks are placed in the
front ('fore') and back ('aft') of the wheels of landing gear. They are made out of hard wood or hard rubber. Corporate
safety guidelines in the US almost always specify that chocks must be used in a pair on the same wheel and they must
be placed in physical contact with the wheel. Therefore, "chocks" are typically found in pairs connected by a segment of
rope or cable. The word "chock" is also used as a verb, defined as the act of placing chocks in front and back of the
wheel.
Refuelers
Container loader
Photo of aircraft container and pallet loader showing its numerous powered rollers for shifting and rotation of containers.
Photo showing a ULD loader lifting a ULD from apron dollies level to aircraft cargo bay level. Unit Load Device (ULD) is
standardized size air cargo container. All are apron Ground support equipment.
Members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Four (NMCB-4) load TriCon containers loaded with construction
equipment destined for field testing in Iraq, into a U.S. Air Force, Air Mobility Command, C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft.
Container loaders, also known as cargo loaders or "K loaders", are used for the loading and unloading of containers and
pallets into and out of aircraft. The loader has two platforms which raise and descend independently. The containers or
palettes on the loader are moved with the help of built-in rollers or wheels. There are different container and pallet
loaders.
• 3.5 T
• 7 T (standard version, wide-body, universal, high)
• 14 T
• 30 T
For military transport planes special container and pallet loaders are used. Some military applications use airborne
loaders, which are transportable within the transport plane itself. Container and pallet loaders are mainly produced in
France, Germany, Latvia, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Japan, China, and the United States.
Transporters
Container transporter
Transporters are cargo platforms constructed so that, beside loading and unloading containers, they can also can
transport the cargo. These transporters are not typically used in the United States.
A man connects the waste suction hose to the lavatory service outlet on the underbelly of a C-17 Globemaster III,
enabling him to suck the waste into a tank in the truck shown in the background.
Lavatory service vehicles empty and refill lavatories onboard aircraft. Waste is stored in tanks on the aircraft until these
vehicles can empty them and remove the waste. After the tank is emptied, it is refilled with a mixture of water and a
disinfecting concentrate, commonly called 'blue juice'. Instead of a self-powered vehicle, some airports have lavatory
carts, which are smaller and must be pulled by tug.
See also: Blue ice (aircraft)
Catering vehicle
Belt loaders
Belt loader
Belt loaders are vehicles with conveyor belts for unloading and loading of baggage and cargo onto aircraft. A belt loader
is positioned at the door sill of an aircraft hold (baggage compartment) during operation. Belt loaders are used for
narrowbody aircraft, and the bulk hold of wide body aircraft. Stowing baggage without containers is known as bulk
loading.
A conventional tractor hooked up to a United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER at Denver International Airport
Main article: Pushback
Pushback tugs are mostly used to push an aircraft away from the gate when it is ready to leave. These tugs are very
powerful and because of the large engines, are sometimes referred to as an engine with wheels. Pushback tugs can also
be used to pull aircraft in various situations, such as to a hangar. Different size tugs are required for different size aircraft.
Some tugs use a tow-bar as a connection between the tug and the aircraft, while other tugs lift the nose gear off the
ground to make it easier to tow or push. Recently there has been a push for towbarless tractors as larger airplanes are
designed.
De/anti-icing vehicles