Ground Handling.

After an aircraft lands, every minute counts: connecting the passenger bridge, loading and unloading luggage, cleaning the cabin, refueling, and preparing the aircraft for its next flight – all these tasks involved in aircraft handling, which passengers rarely see, are performed by ground handling services on behalf of the airlines.

Ground handling services are a central part of daily airport operations. These companies offer a variety of tightly scheduled and coordinated activities for aircraft handling. The services provided in the often very limited time window between landing and takeoff play a crucial role in ensuring the high efficiency and safety of airport operations.

In addition to aircraft handling, the main tasks include passenger services, baggage handling, and technical services. Coordinating all these tasks requires a high level of logistics and efficient communication between the various services. Increasingly, providers are networked in joint operations centers at airports.

Aircraft Handling

Aircraft handling is one of the main tasks of ground handling services. This includes safely parking the aircraft at the stand, emptying the waste tanks, supplying fresh water, cleaning the aircraft cabin, and, when necessary, de-icing the aircraft. Ground handling services are also responsible for towing and pushing back (“pushback”) aircraft, providing stairs for aircraft not docked at the terminal, and operating shuttle buses for passengers and crew between terminals and aircraft. Refueling of aircraft is handled by companies in the petroleum industry.

Passenger Services

Passenger services on the ground include check-in, baggage drop-off, and issuing boarding passes, as well as assistance at the gate. Helping passengers with special needs, such as families with small children, elderly passengers, or people with disabilities, is also part of the service.

Baggage Handling

Baggage handling is another central task of ground handling services. This involves the quick and efficient sorting, transporting, and loading of baggage, ensuring that every passenger’s luggage reaches the right flight on time and arrives with the passenger at their destination. Modern baggage handling systems are highly automated, using advanced technologies to allocate and transport baggage to the appropriate aircraft, even with tight connection times.

Technical Services

Technical services include aircraft maintenance, checking technical systems, and performing necessary repairs. These tasks are essential for ensuring the airworthiness of an aircraft. Technicians and engineers mainly work during the nighttime operational breaks to ensure that planes are serviced on time and ready for scheduled departures the next morning. As in all areas of flight operations, safety is the top priority.