Impact of Ground Handling on Air Traffic Volatility

Paweł Zagrajek,Adam Hoszman

doi:10.33119/jmfs.2018.33.8

Paweł Zagrajek, Adam Hoszman

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33119/jmfs.2018.33.8

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Abstract

Ground handling services constitute an important element of airline operations and significantly affect traffic stability and punctuality. In this article, the existing and potential impact of airline handling on air traffic volatility is reviewed from the point of view of airlines and ground operations. The issues of airline expectations towards ground handling agents (including handling rates, turnaround time, passenger services, and ramp services) are explored. In addition, the impact of an airline’s schedule and the volatility of its operations on the performance and operational requirements of handling agents is discussed, including actions required by handling agents in response to the above challenges. The mechanism of how the volatility of an airline’s schedule and its operations may impact the volatility of ground operations (directly and indirectly) is considered. The statistics of airline delays caused by ground operations are presented and discussed. The issue of the correctness of air traffic delays reporting by airlines is investigated.Furthermore, this article investigates internal factors of ground handling agents and their impact on air traffic volatility. The existing and potential considerations discussed include staff management issues (in particular, employee rotation resulting in staff shortages and service quality, including punctuality), resources management, the ground service support equipment (including new developments aiming at limiting ground safety incidents), and their impact on performance.

Highlights

Delays in aircraft operations have been a more and more pending problem recently
Handling-induced delays are analysed in two aspects – in terms of the average delay per flight as well as the share of a delay relative to other causes enumerated above.Figure 1 shows the distribution of primary delay causes
In terms of the absolute average delay, this downward trend in delays caused by ground handling operations is less visible, which should be attributed to a sharp increase in the total average delay in 2016

Summary

Introduction

Delays in aircraft operations have been a more and more pending problem recently. As ground handling operations is one of the factors that may induce delays in aircraft operations, it is discussed and analyzed thoroughly in this paper [Zamkova, Prokop, Stolín, 2017, pp. 1799–1807]. Apart from activities of different companies, aircraft handling may be influenced or even interrupted by various parties including airport authorities, security service provider, board control or an airline itself. A delayed arrival of an aircraft from the previous flight may severely impede the ability of the ground handler to provide the staff and equipment to service the given aircraft It may adversely impact services of other aircraft. Aircraft and ramp handling (codes 31–39), including aircraft documentation problems (weight and balance, general declaration, pax manifest, etc.), loading/unloading (a lack of loading equipment, a lack of staff, an inappropriate process), cleaning, fueling, catering, ULD (if made unserviceable by the ground operator), other services Ground service providers have to work on on-time and safety performance These issues should be taken into consideration while budgeting, planning operations, purchasing equipment, staffing and training.

Misc All other causes

Findings

Summary