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What is Airport Handling?
Operation
of Airport Handling
Airport handling or provision of ground handling services plays an important role in the economic development of some of the largest business groups in Spain, which have a division or company for airport handling.
These services can be provided by the airlines’ own personnel, known as self-handling which we will see later, or by specialized companies. In any case, they adhere to standards and regulations set by IATA that dictate how each of the services should be performed in order to ensure safety and facilitate proper operability.
Some of the most common assistance services are:
- Administrative ground services (for example, representation services and liaison with local authorities and general administrative services).
- Passenger services in functions such as assistance for arrival, departure and transit passengers or ticket control and baggage check-in.
- Baggage services, including loading and unloading or handling in the sorting area.
- Cargo and mail services including ramp services such as loading, physical handling, import or transit, document processing between the Airport Terminal and the aircraft for both arrival and departure as well as transit.
- Ramp operations such as aircraft guidance, transportation of crew, passengers and baggage between the aircraft and the terminal.
- Aircraft cleaning and service including exterior and interior cleaning, cabin air conditioning and heating, de-icing, snow and frost removal.
- Catering including transportation, loading and unloading of food and beverages from the aircraft or the preparation and delivery of material and food products.
- Flight operations or crew administration (for example, in flight preparation at the departure airport).
- Fuel and lubricant services including the organization and execution of refueling and defueling or the loading of lubricants and other liquid ingredients.
- Line maintenance (for example, supply and management of spare parts for maintenance or the reservation of a parking spot or hangar).
Handling
Agent
The Handling agent is a figure that is gaining an increasingly relevant role in air transport, especially with the current trend of airlines towards greater outsourcing of services.
For this reason, when an aircraft lands, different actions are automatically set in motion to prepare the aircraft as quickly as possible for the next flight.
To perform these actions, one must be well prepared to be a Handling Agent, who basically takes care of ground handling services.
There are various profiles or types of handling agents:
- Passenger attention is provided by the passenger handling agents. They are responsible for assistance within the terminal in matters such as check-in, boarding passengers onto the aircraft, flight closure, and attention at public service counters.
- There are also cargo handling agents, who are responsible for loading and unloading goods when they are transported as air cargo, including acceptance and storage, as well as preparing the necessary documentation for transportation.
- Another profile is that of ramp handling agent, who are in charge of baggage unloading, checking the operation of stairs, recharging the electrical system, refueling, disposing of wastewater, checking air conditioning systems, cabin cleaning, and repairing anything that may have been damaged during the flight if necessary.
- Additionally, there is the handling agent in charge of catering services, who is responsible for unloading food and beverages that were not consumed during the flight to make way for the new load of food and beverages offered to new passengers, as well as to the crew of the next flight.
Main providers
of Handling services
IBERIA AIRPORT SERVICE
It is the leading national handling operator with presence in 29 Spanish airports. They provide passenger services, ramp services, flight operation and dispatch with a team of experts in flight coordination, cargo and mail services. Furthermore, they have an environmental policy with well-defined objectives. They implement efficient management models to continue improving airport activity development while collaborating with environmental management.
SWISSPORT HANDLING
Provides passenger and ramp services to more than 850 clients. It is recognized as the largest and most independent global ground service provider with the highest number of operations worldwide. Among the services it provides are station administration and management, passenger services, aircraft maintenance, and ramp handling.
WFS AIRPORT SERVICES
It is one of the world’s leading ground handling organizations. Currently, it offers services at more than 190 airports in over 20 countries. Among the services they provide, we find cargo services, passenger services, ramp services, technical services, and baggage handling.
ACCIONA
They began their activity in Spanish airports in 1994, always focusing on growth based on service quality, safety, and innovation in their handling processes. Among the services they provide are: passenger handling services, operations, ramp, and cargo. Additionally, they carry out a series of services performed at a certain distance from the airports they serve. Their extensive experience in the field of airport services allows them to analyze new opportunities in the airport sector.
ATLÁNTICA DE HANDLING
It began its activity in October 2005. They are responsible for assisting aircraft, passengers, and baggage at all Canary Islands airports where Binter Canarias operates.
AVIAPARTNER
Aviapartner is one of the leading independent ground handling service providers with a presence in 37 airports across 6 European countries.
GROUNDFORCE
Established in 2003, Groundforce is a company that offers handling services at major Spanish airports. In general terms, they provide ramp services, passenger services, flight operations, cargo, and road freight transport, among others. Currently, they serve more than 200 clients worldwide.
Self-handling
Some airlines are also handling agents for their own aircraft, which is known as self-handling. In some countries, companies can provide handling services to aircraft from other companies flying to that destination. As an example of an airline that manages the handling of its own aircraft, we can cite Azul Handling, the newly created company of the Ryanair Group.
ITAérea Aeronautical Business School has:
- Airport Handling Course.
- International presence. This determines that the student has access to these international sources of employment. The territorial delegates communicate existing job offers to the headquarters to offer them to all students and alumni of the same.
- Instructors who are industry executives (all of them), facilitating job placement.
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