Written by Consultant, Ben Spiers
With over 100,000 commercial aircrafts taking off and landing across the globe each day, every time they land, they require essential services to ensure their safety and get them back in the air flying again.
This combined with over 4.5 billion people opting to fly globally each year, it is no surprise that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recently proposed changes to its Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) to bring Ground Handling Services into Aviation Regulation.
Ground Handling Services Regulation Explained The state letter issued by ICAO in May 2023 outlines the planned changes to its Annex 14 "Aerodrome" documentation, recommending that "states should establish criteria for the safety oversight of ground handling as part of their State Safety Programme (SSP)".
So, why, after 80 years since the formation of ICAO at the Chicago convention in 1944, would ICAO bring about such change, when industry bodies like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) already standardise Ground Handling across industry through their IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM)?
The simple fact is that the IGOM and its associated ISAGO (Safety Audit for Ground Operations) are only industry best practices and represent agreements between the airlines and Ground Handling Service Providers. With the changes outlined by ICAO, each National Competent Aviation Authority will look to implement Ground Handling Operations into regulation.
Leading the way with the Ground Handling Regulation implementation is the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), who have already conducted a full European wide Impact Assessment and issued a Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA), welcoming changes to both EU965/2012 Air Operations and EU139/2014 Aerodrome Regulations. Furthermore, EASA have shared their draft Guidance Materials (GM's) and Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC's), allowing organisations to prepare for this regulatory mandate.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are working in conjunction with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to fully understand the full scope of hazards associated with Ground Handling Operations as part of their rule making process.
The CAA is currently undergoing consultation with UK based stakeholders, including Ground Handling Service Providers, Air Operators and Aerodromes. Whilst there remains a memorandum of understanding between the UK CAA and HSE, outlined within CAP1484, the UK CAA is working closely with the HSE to ensure that the requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 are met.
What does the new regulation mean for my organisation?With the release of the International Standards and Recommended Practices planned in early 2025 and the introduction into national regulation to be implemented between 2026-28, these are the areas that organisations can expect to see brought into regulation:
Ground Handling organisational requirements• The Management System
• Risk monitoring and safety performance
• Human Factors
• Organisational roles and responsibilities
• The Ground Handling services manual and associated procedures
Passenger Handling• Passenger and baggage acceptance at the aerodrome
• Safety of passengers during boarding and disembarkation of aircraft using ground support equipment
• Passenger transit or transfer
• Ground transportation of passengers between aerodrome terminal and aircraft
Baggage Handling
• Baggage identification
• Baggage sortation
• Baggage building
• Baggage transfer
• Baggage arrival and reclaim
Aircraft Servicing• Operation of GSE and vehicle
• Aircraft refuelling and defueling
• Aircraft toilet servicing
• Aircraft water servicing
• Aircraft exterior cleaning
• Aircraft de/anti-icing
Turnaround Activities• Activities on aircraft arrival
• Aircraft loading/unloading of baggage, mail, cargo and catering
• Activities on Aircraft Departure
• Aircraft towing and pushback
One of the leading changes organisations can expect from the regulatory mandate is Integrated/Safety Management Systems (IMS/SMS). For many years within Ground Handling, the concepts of SMS have been lingering, but the principles never fully adopted.
With the UK/EU Basic Regulations 2018/1139 and EU/UK Occurrence Reporting Regulations 376/2014 being applied to Ground Handling Service provision, it is imperative that individuals within organisations fully understand and appreciate different risk interfaces and methods of working towards a common safety goal.
How you can prepare for the new regulation
Figure 1- Baines Simmons SMARRT MAP (Safety Management and Risk Reduction Tool - Measurement and Performance)With these changes on the horizon, how can Ground Handling organisations prepare for success in a regulated environment?
At Baines Simmons, we have partnered with over 750 aviation organisations and 40 aviation authorities around the world. Our specialist teams have led a comprehensive range of regulatory, compliance and safety improvement programmes which have developed the skills and expertise of more than 120,000 aviation professionals across all sectors of the industry, using our own designed and proven Safety Risk practices, including our SMARRT MAP and FAiR3 methodologies.
With our bespoke consulting services, we ensure organisations stay ahead of the regulatory mandate through our support in powering up Safety Management Systems (SMS), ensuring its effectiveness throughout operational departments.
Furthermore, our aviation training services, can provide assurance that your team has the correct skills, knowledge, and training to build management system competence within your organisation.
To find out more about how we can support your organisation, contact us at hello@bainessimmons.com.