Ground Support Worldwide recently attended the IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC) in Doha, Qatar. The IGHC spanned across three days and had sessions discussing safety, standards, procedures, technology and operations as it pertains to ground handlers, airlines and airports.
My biggest take-a-way was the amount of passenger growth estimated by 2036. That figure checked in at 8.4 billion, with the largest increases coming in Africa and the Middle East (but still a large increase for the rest of the world’s regions, too).
With that, some questions come to mind. Are we prepared? Can the airports handle this new growth, knowing we already have restricted infrastructure? Can the airlines turn the aircraft around faster to accommodate more flights? Is autonomous GSE the solution for repetitive operations on the ramp?
What was made clear is we need standards – and not just by location or airline, but global standards.
How do we, as an industry, partner together to get there? The platform that the IGHC provides to discuss these topics is a great collaboration of ideas to lead us in the right direction.
Thanks for reading,
Missy
