Airport Ground Handling Research Articles

Safety culture on board six Swedish passenger ships

This paper presents the results of a Swedish study on maritime safety culture. The study aims to increase knowledge about the characteristics of safety culture in the maritime setting and about the relationship between safety culture and organizational climate. Such knowledge can be vital in the process of developing and improving safety culture. The paper reports the results of safety culture assessments on board six Swedish passenger ships in international traffic, using observations, questionnaires, and interviews focussing on 508 employees who completed the questionnaires. The results of the assessments revealed a generally good existing safety culture. Differences in individuals' safety culture perceptions were found between ships, vessel type (high-speed craft versus Ropax), and hierarchical working position. Important relationships between organizational climate and safety culture were also found. A comparison with other transport sectors where the same safety culture assessment had been applied yielded that passenger shipping has an average safety culture score level that falls between air traffic control and airport ground handling. The method of assessment, which can be used by shipping companies and vessel crews, identified specific areas of concern in the safety culture that could support continuous improvements of safety and safety culture.

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF SPLIT AIRPORT BUSINESS PROCESSES

Optimisation of business processes represents the basis ofimproving the competitiveness of the Ailport as a service pro·vider. This directly implies not only the analysis and creation ofthe model of current organisation and technological processesbut also the necessity to measure these processes in order to reorganiseand improve them. Consequently, the Split AitportAuthority considers the functional analysis of its business processesas one of the major issues. Since in April2002 the analysisand modelling were completed in all the organisational unitsof handling setvice and cargo department organisational structures,both of the organisational structure of these services, aswell as of processes of aircraft, passenger, baggage and cargohandling, this paper will analyse the implementation of ARISComputer System at Split Airport Ground Handling Process.

Jane's airports and handling agents, 1995-96. Europe

Jane's Airports and Handling Agents is an in-depth flight planning publication that provides airport contact information, personnel, technical data, restrictions, services and ground handling capabilities. Each guide is available to purchase by region, and contains extensive details of all the major airports worldwide and their handling agents and fixed-base operators. The key contents include: details on over 2,200 airports; IATA/ICAO codes; runway statistics; navigation aids, frequencies, lighting systems and fire/rescue rating; noise abatement, obstructions, fees and charges; Customs and Immigration contacts, ATC, Met Office and AIS telephone numbers; engineering companies, fuelers and caterers; banks and hotels; transportation details; and, more than 4,000 handling agents/FBOs with contact information, personnel and details of passenger, VIP, cargo and livestock handling.

Jane's airports and handling agents, 1995-96. United States and Canada

Jane's Airports and Handling Agents is an in-depth flight planning publication that provides airport contact information, personnel, technical data, restrictions, services and ground handling capabilities. Each guide is available to purchase by region, and contains extensive details of all the major airports worldwide and their handling agents and fixed-base operators.

Barriers to contestability in the deregulated European aviation market

The deregulation of aviation in the United States and intercity bus transport in the United Kingdom initially resulted in substantial fare reductions associated with new market entry. Many new market entrants subsequently left the market and fares increased. International aviation in Europe has been operated by national airlines with price collusion and capacity sharing and a ban on new entrants. The normal economy fares charged on air services within Europe are the highest in the world. Therefore, there is significant scope for fare reductions when the European Community (EC) internal market comes into operation in 1993. Deregulation of market access will, however, leave unaddressed other barriers to contestability in the deregulated European aviation market. The structural barriers to contestability include hub airport dominance by the incumbent airlines, ground handling monopolies, and computer reservation system (CRS) bias. The paper proposes measures to ensure access to major airports for new entrant airlines on equal terms with incumbent airlines and the deregulation of the market for airport ground handling. The EC code of conduct for the neutral operation of CRS for incumbent and new entrant carriers is an important precedent. The strategic obstacles to contestability in a deregulated European airline industry are anticompetitive mergers and predatory pricing. In recent years national airlines have acquired several independent airlines in important European markets. It is recommended that such takeovers be prohibited because of their anticompetitive implications in the absence of competition between national airlines. The large networks of national airlines allow them to pursue policies of geographical price discrimination with reduced fares on contested routes and higher fares on uncontested routes. Price surveillance is recommended to explain fare differences between contested and uncontested routes. It is recommended that the EC competition policy exemption for price consultations between airlines be ended. Without measures to tackle the structural and strategic obstacles to competition in European aviation, its liberalization may have no impact on the present high-cost system.