AERO Specialties

Several years ago, airport heads of ground operations were brought together from different parts of the world to discuss the most common problems they face with their ground operations. Their answers had some overlap but were surprisingly different. One of the chief takeaways, however, was that the issues they cited that involved ground crew virtually always involved the crew not having sufficient training. That’s not an uncommon or unexpected finding. Even when identifying the problems they encountered that didn’t specifically name a lack of training, the root of that issue could pretty reliably be attributed to it. Poorly maintained, old and obsolete, and otherwise inadequate ground support equipment (GSE) is likely the second most commonly mentioned. Thankfully, both of these issues can be resolved for safer, more efficient, more financially stable ground operations and a happier ground support crew. Common Ground Operation Issues If there is one specific issu...

The work environment for an airport’s ground crew is a particularly high-risk one. In fact, if one were to list major workplace risk factors, it might harder to find the ones that don’t apply to an airport ground crew than the ones that do. Ground crew work often requires high-speed and high-stress tasks, such as hurrying to get aircraft ready for flight or seen to after a flight, while other aircraft are waiting for service. It also involves the use of heavy equipment and vehicles like aircraft tugs , as well as working on far larger and heavier equipment and vehicles, like aircraft. The ground crew are often carrying heavy luggage and other equipment and transporting and using any number of chemicals, including fuels, lavatory fluids, deicing fluid, and more. Not to mention the additional stress or that for many of the crew, not doing their job or doing it incorrectly can put the lives of a lot of other people in danger. That level of risk is, of course, responsi...