Ground Handling Management

Ground handling is an integral part of airline operations. IATA strives to lead the industry towards improved safety and operational efficiency in ground handling by setting standards, initiating and encouraging the implementation of global solutions.

Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, handling agents or even to another airline. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), conservative estimates indicate airlines outsource more than 50 per cent of the ground handling that takes place at the world's airports. Ground handling addresses the many service requirements of an airliner between the times it arrives at a terminal gate and the time it departs on its next flight. Speed, efficiency, and accuracy are important in ground handling services in order to minimise the turnaround time (the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate).  Faster turnarounds for lower ground times are correlated to better profits.

Airlines with less-frequent service or fewer resources at a particular location sometimes subcontract ground handling or on-call aircraft maintenance to another airline, as it is a short-term cheaper alternative to setting up its own ground handling or maintenance capabilities.

Airlines may participate in an industry-standard Mutual Assistance Ground Service Agreement (MAGSA). The MAGSA is published by the Air Transport Association (the current version is from 1981) and is used by airlines to assess prices for maintenance and support to aircraft at so-called MAGSA Rates. Airlines may choose to contract for ground handling services under the terms of a Standard Ground Handling Agreement (SGHA) published in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airport Handling Manual. Airlines may also contract for ground handling services under non-standard terms. Most ground services are not directly related to the actual flying of the aircraft, and instead involve other tasks. The major categories of ground handling services such as: Cabin service, catering, ramp service, passenger service and field operation service