The biennial GSE Expo Europe took place in Portugal, Lisbon, Sept. 17-19. More than 170 exhibitors highlighted the latest advancements in the industry.
Chief among those advancements was an increase in electric ground support equipment (eGSE) and enhanced safety features that keep personnel, equipment and aircraft safe of the ramp. I had the opportunity to speak with Swissport’s global head of fleet, David Fernandez, for a special episode of the AviationPros Podcast from the event. He shared the importance of these trends for the ground handling market.
“Electrification is reaching nearly all kinds of assets,” Fernandez said, noting even pushbacks, main deck loaders and other large pieces of equipment are being produced in electric units. “We really see that there are a lot of benefits along the value chain for us, for our customers, for our operators, for our technicians, for the environment as well.
“But the main challenge or the main difference that we are still seeing here is that the different manufacturers are still taking different approaches on how to electrify the units. The voltage rates of the units are still not homogeneous across the manufacturers,” he continued.
“Electrification is one thing, but safety – for us, as ground handling is first,” Fernandez added. “It’s because, first, we want to have our guys coming back home safe. And also, we want our customers to have a seamless experience without any aircraft damage.
“Therefore, aircraft damage protection and also operators injury [prevention] is our priority.”
Hopefully, you were able to attend the expo and see the latest eGSE, safety features and other cutting-edge equipment first-hand. But if you were unable to attend, we can get you up to speed with our coverage of the event.
Check out our AviationPros Event eGuide, which includes videos, podcasts, articles and other coverage of the 2024 GSE Expo Europe.
And it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2025 International GSE Expo, so mark your calendars – Sept. 16-18, 2025, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We look forward to seeing you there.
