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WINTER 2016/SPRING 2017
AGS
AIRLINE
GROUND
SERVICES
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
DEALING WITH SAFETY FIRST: FOCUS ON WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY
MISHANDLED PRIORITIES FOR THE ASIAN OF GROUND
BAGGAGE THE FUTURE MARKET SERVICE PROVIDERS
TRANSWORLD’S VISION
Transworld strives to provide superior ground handling services at AAkIA Airport,
Zanzibar, by investing in airport infrastructure and automation in order to promote
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Passenger Services
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Cargo and mail services
Load control, Communication, Flight operation
Airline Carrier Support services
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Baggage Services
Check-in Services
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mail : info@twa-znz.com | Web: www.twa-znz.com
EDITOR’S LETTER | WINTER 2016/SPRING 2017
LETTER FROM AGS
WINTER 2016/SPRING 2017
AIRLINE
GROUND
SERVICES
THE EDITOR
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
DEALING WITH SAFETY FIRST: FOCUS ON WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY
MISHANDLED PRIORITIES FOR THE ASIAN OF GROUND
BAGGAGE THE FUTURE MARKET SERVICE PROVIDERS
W
elcome to the Winter 2016/Spring 2017 issue of
Airline Ground Services, published against the JAMES SHERIDAN
Chairman
backdrop of the US presidential elections that took james@evaint.com
place on 8 November.
PARVEEN RAJA
Defying the polls, Donald Trump gained the
Publisher
victory over Hilary Clinton in a political upset somewhat reminiscent parveen@evaint.com
of the surprise EU referendum result in the UK in June. Among the
MEGAN RAMSAY
remarks the president elect made during his acceptance speech was Editor
a promise to “rebuild” the country’s infrastructure – including its meganlouiseramsay@gmail.com
airports. At this early stage, it is of course difficult to speculate on the
HARLEY KHAN
details of those promises, but I for one will be watching with interest Head of Commercial
to see how things unfold during his term of office, particularly with harley@evaint.com
regard to the aviation industry and its environmental responsibilities. YASMIN LYDON
In this edition of AGS, meanwhile, we speak to the heads of two of Events Coordinator
yasmin@evaint.com
the big handlers – Swissport and WFS – to see how each of them is
settling in to their roles: Eric Born became CEO of Swissport about a GEMMA KEEN
year ago while Craig Smyth joined WFS much more recently, in August. Events Coordinator
gemma@evaint.com
This issue also looks at several aspects of baggage handling,
following on from our update on IATA’s resolution 753 in the Summer SHOBHANA PATEL
Head of Finance
edition. We consider not just lost luggage and some of the ways it can shobi@evaint.com
be minimised, but the problem of damaged luggage too.
CHARLOTTE WILLIS
Safety initiatives, the latest technology updates, luxury lounge
Events and Circulation
design, developments in airline catering, Russia’s clampdown on charlotte@evaint.com
monopolies, opportunities in the Asian market and the impact of social
SHELDON PINK
media on ground handling are all considered in these pages – and we Creative Director
sheldon@evaint.com
gather a range of perspectives on some of the big challenges facing the
industry, too. Address changes and subscription orders to:
circulation@evaint.com
I hope you find something to inspire you as we move towards 2017. ISSN 2040-476X
It seems likely to be a year of significant change for the world at large, EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
and potentially for our industry too as a result. Q David Smith, Eugene Gerden, Martin
Courtney, Chris Lewis and Anthony
Harrington
PUBLISHED TWICE A YEAR BY
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Content may not be reproduced in any
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www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com WINTER 2016/SPRING 2017 Airline Ground Services 1
CONTENTS | 8*/5&3413*/(
CONTENTS
1 Editor’s letter
6
4 Fertile soil: an interview with Eric Born, Swissport CEO
6 Where next? Thoughts on the future
of ground handling
9 1PJOUTPGWJFXJOEVTUSZlHVSFIFBETDPNNFOUPO
TPNFPGUIFNBJOJTTVFTGBDJOHIBOEMFSTUPEBZ
14 Upgrading: we catch up with new
8'4$&0 $SBJH4NZUI
18 Diverse strategies: different approaches
UPUIF"TJBOHSPVOEIBOEMJOHNBSLFU
22 4UBZJOHUIFQBDFEFWFMPQNFOUTJOUIFBJSMJOFTFDUPS
25 4BGFUZlSTUBDPOWFSTBUJPOXJUI
ex-IGHC chair Marsha Ragusa
28 No such thing as a free lunch:
EFWFMPQNFOUTJOBJSMJOFDBUFSJOH
32 5IFDPNQMFUFUSBWFMFYQFSJFODF7*1MPVOHFEFTJHO
36 /BWJHBUJOHUISPVHIUIF5XJUUFSTUPSN
NBOBHJOHTPDJBMNFEJB
14
40 Lost and found: one way to deal
XJUINJTIBOEMFECBHHBHF
44 42 2VJDLlYIPXUPDPQFXJUIUIF
QSPCMFNPGEBNBHFEMVHHBHF
44 Airport technology trends for 2016
48 4BUJTGBDUJPOCBHUSBDLJOHBOE*"5"T3FTPMVUJPO
49 "O"NFSJDBOlSTUJOBJSQPSUXJOUFSTVTUBJOBCJMJUZ
50 3VTTJBPOWFSHFPGCJHDIBOHFT
51 AGS Directory
2 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
WE TURN AROUND YOUR BUSINESS Swissport International Ltd. Ground Handling, Cargo Services, Aircraft Maintenance, Fueling, Executive Aviation, Aviation Security WWW.SWISSPORT.COM
INTERVIEW | ERIC BORN: SWISSPORT
SOIL
A
Eric Born took up the Swiss national, Born I have a different leadership style
holds a BBA from the but that’s not been an issue. Rather
post of CEO of global University of Applied than multiply filtered information, I
handler Swissport on 1 Science in Zurich and prefer honest interaction and open dis-
August 2015. He talks to an MBA from Simon cussion so we can all see what’s really
Business School at the University of going on – the opportunities, where we
AGSBCPVUIJTlSTUZFBSJO Rochester NY. He came to Swissport can improve or develop, the good, the
that role and how he sees from a background in retail, logistics bad, what is needed… I encourage my
and aviation services, including six teams to have discussions and there is
UIFDPNQBOZnBOEUIF
years as CEO at Wincanton and four perhaps more emphasis on this now
JOEVTUSZnHPJOHGPSXBSE years at John Menzies plc as a non- than there was prior to my time here.
executive director. Our role here in management is to get
the company to perform well.
Q. You’ve been in post as CEO of
Swissport for just over a year now. Q. Can you also give an overview
What were the challenges involved of how things were at Swissport
in adapting and settling in to when you joined – the context in
your new role, and how did you UFSNTPGlOBODJBMQFSGPSNBODF GPS
overcome them? instance?
A. There haven’t been that A. Things were ok. They were in-
many challenges actually. I teresting times in the sense that there
used the first few months was interest from the current share-
to travel and meet with col- holders (HNA Group) in purchas-
leagues and customers so ing the company from PAI Partners
I could get a good insight when I joined. I was still working for
into our strengths and de- the old shareholder for the first seven
velopment areas. As far as months, so there was no change, which
things to overcome are gave me a great opportunity to learn
concerned, we have grown the culture of the business. There are
relatively rapidly – and a lot in fact multiple cultures by station or
of that has been through ac- country, which is not surprising given
quisitions such as Servisair. our merger and acquisition activity
When you have two compa- that has got the company to where it
nies of this size, the change is today. Now, we are working towards
is not perfectly digested every- a common culture that values account-
where so we did have some op- ability and where employees are en-
erational challenges in the begin- couraged to step up and speak up.
ning but we have dealt with them The business continues to perform
well since then. well. Our revenue development plans
I have a different leadership style but that’s not been an issue.
3BUIFSUIBONVMUJQMZlMUFSFEJOGPSNBUJPO
I prefer honest interaction and open discussion
Eric Born
4 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
INTERVIEW | ERIC BORN: SWISSPORT
are where we want them to be. Our day but the future so we are building nesses. People need to take account-
biggest cost is labour while there is on our leading position. We are strong ability and ownership at a local level,
also a push on price from the airlines. in Europe, North America, Africa and there has to be a behavioural change,
We have to optimise our productivity, Latin America but the Middle East while we (that is, the management)
follow best practices and ensure con- and Asia offer significant room for help them centrally and regionally.
sistent quality at each station. our future geographic expansion. We The key issues for the industry in-
have plans in place for that. It’s part clude service quality, training, health
Q. Have you made any changes as of our focus – for instance, in China and safety and the reliability of ground
CEO? How far have you managed with HNA Group as our shareholder. ops. Our industry should never cut
to take these changes up to now, I envisage we will have operations up corners here – that is non-negotiable.
and are you happy with how they’re and running in China within the next At the same time, there is pressure
going? 12 months. on prices from the customer. How do
A. Part of the changes has been to we optimise the cost/quality equation?
give people the opportunity to speak Q. Do you think the ground handling We have to be able to generate a return
up, listen and share their ideas. An- industry as a whole needs to change in order to invest in the business at a
other part is that after the transaction in any way(s)? If so, why – and how market-clearing price. A certain level
in February and the meeting with the might this be achieved? What role of quality is expected and you have to
new shareholders, there was a change is Swissport taking to support this deliver. You can do a certain amount
to the top management team so that agenda? for efficiency – but it has to be within
we are a single company with a single A. Safety is a key focus; training these non-negotiable cornerstones.
team. Three people left, a new CFO programmes and tools must be pro- From what I’ve seen while travel-
joined and the role of COO was cre- vided. Equally, aircraft damage, near ling, as an industry, we should be very
ated – rather than having three EVPs misses and so on are important. You mindful of this.
at the head of three divisions, which have to have clear targets for each sta-
created silos that were not cohesive. tion and country. We have significantly Q. What are your hopes for the
Everyone on the team is aligned with beefed up our support for health and future?
our key priorities. safety and quality because we want to A. I will be further developing our
continue to reduce accident rates and leadership position, taking us to the
Q. What are your plans for taking not damage equipment. As an indus- next level of performance and corpo-
the company forward over the try, we all need to do more. As the larg- rate maturity. I’m incredibly pleased
coming years? est player, Swissport has a responsibil- at the amount of commitment, at all
A. The overall aim is to further ity to lead that initiative. levels of the business, to go the extra
develop the organisation, leveraging You have to ask how well is the first mile on a day-to-day basis in a busi-
on our operational practices across line trained? Do they immediately cor- ness that, depending on geography,
the globe. When you buy from Swiss- rect their behaviour? It is a day-to-day can be a very tough job. I’ve been ex-
port, you get Swissport whether you’re business objective, and a responsibil- tremely positively surprised. This is a
in Africa, the Middle East, America ity, to operate safely. Governments and great platform to work with – it’s very
or Europe. There is consistency and other authorities can help but it has fertile soil if you want to drive plans to
quality. We are managing not just to- to start at the level of individual busi- further improve and expand.
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Winter 2016/Spring 2017 Airline Ground Services 5
FORECAST | LOOKING AHEAD
Anthony Harrington looks at some of the latest developments in the ground handling sector
and where they might lead
T
he ground handling sector Markets. This represents a forecast
had no choice other than to compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
come into being as a huge- of around 7.3% for the next 10 years.
ly fragmented accumula- At that level of growth, funding for a
tion of isolated businesses, general and potentially long-running
each springing up to handle the local consolidation of the sector, with a
requirements of one or two local air- number of mid-size and large players
ports. Many either started out as a part running ‘buy-and-build’ strategies, is
of a national airline, or quickly forged virtually guaranteed.
long-lasting agreements at a particu-
lar airport with a national airline or a LEADING THE CHARGE
handful of foreign airlines. The history of all the larger ground
Sometimes, when a carrier opened handling operators shows much the
up new routes at a new airport they same pattern. Dubai-headquartered
would (and still do) take their own in- dnata, which started life back in 1959
house or their favourite outsourcing as a team of five to provide ground
Gary Chapman, dnata president
baggage and cargo handler with them. handling services to the then new Dubai
However, for a couple of decades, as air International Airport, has been at the
travel developed and passenger num- cash generative businesses that re- forefront of international acquisitions.
bers mushroomed, new ground han- quire significant funding both for ac- Time and again, the purchase of es-
dling operations found it very difficult quisitions and for capital equipment. tablished ground handling companies
to break through established monopo- At a time of low to negative returns in new regions has helped dnata to ac-
lies to offer competitive services. for cash, investing in ground handling celerate its growth. The firm’s acquisi-
Even today, in a number of air- companies is essentially a bet on the tions of ground handling operations
ports, the monopoly provider is still en- onwards and upwards march of com- at London Heathrow and Manchester
trenched, but there is no doubt that the mercial air traffic. Airports in 2009 are an obvious case
sector is undergoing a radical change Taken in its totality the global in point.
that is steadily transforming the land- ground handling business is expected Earlier this year, dnata reportedly
scape. Established suppliers from out- to be worth around US$7.4 billion an- purchased US ground handling spe-
side a region are increasingly seeking nually by 2025, according to the lat- cialist, Ground Services International,
to outbid incumbents, offering airlines est research report from Research and which has operations in more than 20
better pricing and promising better
quality services. Big ground handling SUSTAINING GROWTH
companies are getting bigger. Mid-sized
Dave Sheddon, head of communications at Menzies Aviation, feels that re-
companies are getting squeezed and
sourcing is the biggest challenge at major airports. “Whether it’s getting the
smaller single-airport organisations are
right people and keeping them, or optimising the way we deploy our teams and
under incredible cost pressure.
equipment, it remains an area on which we must always focus. Beyond that,
The reason for the ‘big squeeze’ is
the typically competitive nature of the handling environment at large stations
simple economics. Ground handling
is a big pressure, as is the complexity of managing an operation with so many
today is an increasingly capital inten-
moving parts.”
sive business. Modern ground han-
dling equipment is expensive and ser- Sheddon says ground handling is always equally demanding both in terms of
vice providers have little choice other the capital investment in equipment that it requires, and the human resources
than to automate every possible pro- UIBU OFFE UP CF EFQMPZFE h1VU TJNQMZ DPNQBOJFT OFFE B TVGlDJFOU CBTF PG
cess in order to hold down costs. Air- capital on which to build. Without such a base, there’s a danger that a growing
lines are themselves trading on wafer IBOEMFSNJHIUlOEJUTFMGTQSFBEUPPUIJOXIFODIBMMFOHFTBSJTF UIFHPPEUJNFT
thin margins and are constantly pres- are easy to work through, but it’s tough to weather the harder times if a busi-
suring their suppliers to do more for ness is overstretched.”
less, more efficiently. .FO[JFT GPSJUTQBSU JTDPOlEFOUPGJUTDPOUJOVFETVDDFTTBOESBQJEGVUVSF
No surprise then that we are see- growth, having announced its intention to acquire ASIG earlier this year.
ing one acquisition after another. The As to whether the market is consolidating, Sheddon believes that “the dy-
stakes are reasonably high, given the namics of the market are moving things in that direction. There have been a
asset base and staffing levels that many number of major acquisitions in recent years, signalling a process of increasing
ground handling companies have built consolidation, and we’ve contributed to that trend in announcing our proposed
up. However, funders rather like the acquisition of ASIG.”
sector since it is comprised of solid,
6 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
FORECAST | LOOKING AHEAD
airports across the USA. This was dna- Since then a series of acquisitions STRATEGIES
ta’s first US acquisition and gives it a around the world, from Ireland to Swe- Despite the success stories, there is no
significant presence in the US market. den, as well as more in the US, have easy way for a ground handling company
Moreover, it seems that a second added to the Menzies portfolio. The that begins life in a single location to
US acquisition is already on the cards. latest move is the proposed acquisition transform itself into a global player.
dnata president Gary Chapman was of ASIG, an aviation services and fuel Çelebi started out back in 1958 as the
recently quoted in Gulf News say- services provider, with a useful ground first privately owned ground handling
ing that dnata is in discussions with a handling operation as well. company in Turkey. It took the company
small Canadian cargo handling opera- The deal for the Orlando, Flori- just shy of 50 years to take its first step
tor. The company is said to have a war da-headquartered company is said on the road to becoming an international
chest of some AED3.5 billion (nearly to be worth $202 million. When it player, when it commenced ground
US$1 billion) for further acquisitions. goes through it will give Menzies an handling operations at Budapest
Chapman reckons that the company is added presence in 88 locations across Airport. Since then progress has been
well positioned to expand its presence seven countries and will double the steady rather than spectacular. In 2009
in the States through further takeovers size of the company’s North Ameri- it began operating in Mumbai, India,
and he signalled an interest in acquir- can operations. One of the huge ben- adding Delhi a year later. In 2011 it
ing part or all of two other US airport efits that deals of this scale bring to began providing services in Frankfurt.
service companies. the acquiring company is that they The company is building up con-
Like dnata, Menzies is another sup- greatly enhance the relationship with tract wins with major carriers on the
plier leading the growth-through-ac- key airline customers by making more ground handling side as well as pro-
quisition charge. The group’s aviation services available in more locations viding cargo services. Çelebi’s Delhi
business, comprising a range of ser- around the world. operation, for example, began provid-
vices including cargo and ground han- Dr Dermot Smurfit, chairman of ing ramp handling services to Cathay
dling, got off to a flying start in 2000, Menzies called the deal “transforma- Pacific Cargo from 1 February 2016.
when it bought the global ground tional”, adding: “It will create one of It now has more than 300 customers
handling operations of the US-based the largest aviation services businesses around the world and is active in 30
Ogden Aviation Services. At a stroke in the world and will strengthen Men- airports in Turkey, one in Hungary,
the $118 million acquisition doubled zies Aviation’s service offering at major one in Austria and two in India.
Menzies’ aviation support business international gateways such as London Swissport International began life
and announced the group’s arrival as a Heathrow, San Francisco, Denver and as Swissair Ground Services, when it
major ground handling player. Los Angeles.” was simply the ground handling arm
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www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Winter 2016/Spring 2017 Airline Ground Services 7
FORECAST | LOOKING AHEAD
Æ
CHALLENGES contract for low-cost carrier Scoot, a
subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, at
Stewart Sinclair, CEO, Bangkok Fuel Services, gives his perspective on the
King Abdulaziz International.
pressures facing a ground handling operation in a busy airport
There are clear overlaps between
“The major pressures … frequently stem from the airport operating over its cargo handling and ground services,
original design capacity. This creates infrastructure-related issues such as lim- not least because airlines like Delta
ited check-in counters at peak periods, immigration congestion, overloaded carry substantial cargo loads on pas-
baggage systems requiring transfer bags to be handled in a separate facility, senger flights. So the larger ground
lack of contact gates at peak periods, especially A380-capable gates, runways, handling companies also tend to have
taxiways and some apron areas requiring repair due to heavy usage. large cargo handling arms. Worldwide
“Other challenges revolve around staff retention and suitable language Flight Services (WFS), the world’s
skills. In our case, all of these infrastructure issues are being addressed by the leading cargo handler, also has one of
airport and other authorities. However, the growth at the airport is such that it the most extensive global ground han-
continually outpaces the infrastructure upgrades. dling operations. In March this year
“Ground handling is equally testing both in terms of the investment it re- WFS became even bigger when it ac-
quires in capital equipment and in human resources. quired Consolidated Aviation Services
(CAS), the largest cargo handler in
“Expanding out from a local base is very challenging, and most local ground
North America.
handling companies never make the transition to becoming an international
Once again, the deal was basically
operator with multiple sites, unless they are able to make acquisitions or are
an exchange between two PE houses.
themselves acquired by an international brand. BFS is fortunate in that we are
Platinum Equity acquired WFS in
part of the WFS Group, so we have access to the global network of WFS oper-
2015, and CAS was part of the portfo-
ating at over 145 locations worldwide. As a special purpose com-
lio of investment firm ICV Partners,
pany BFS is limited to operating at BKK. However, BFS has an
which specialises in middle market
investment in BFS Cargo DMK, which provides cargo handling
companies. CAS has operations in 45
services at DMK airport. All expansion outside Thailand is un-
North American and South American
dertaken by WFS.
airports.
“It is worth noting that for widebody aircraft there is really WFS provides an example of yet
no difference between the requirements of cargo handling another expansion strategy avail-
and passenger baggage handling, as the vast majority of able to ground handlers as they seek
the cargo and baggage is loaded in containers and loaded to benefit from consolidation in the
BOE PGmPBEFE VTJOH IFBWZ MPBEJOH FRVJQNFOU 5IJT CFJOH sector: its subsidiary Bangkok Flight
TP B GFX NPSF QBMMFUT PS DPOUBJOFST UP MPBEPGmPBE EPFT Services (BFS) is a joint venture with
not take up much time. Bangkok Airways, Thailand’s second-
“Curiously the bigger challenge is with narrowbody air- largest regional carrier. BFS is based
craft – and especially low-cost carriers who carry cargo. at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
8IJMTUUIFXFJHIUNBZOPUMPPLUPCFTJHOJlDBOU UIFOVN Its latest carrier win was in Febru-
CFSPGQJFDFTUIBUOFFEUPCFMPBEFEBOEPGmPBEFEDBO ary this year when it provided ground
CFTJHOJlDBOU5IFDIBMMFOHFJTGVSUIFSDPNQPVOEFECZ handling, passenger and cargo servic-
this being a labour-intensive process, with relatively lit- es for the inaugural flight of Myanmar
tle automation, and a requirement to complete the task National Airlines.
in minimal ground times.” Like many carriers, SAS, the
Scandanavian carrier, had a long
tradition of using its own ground
of Swissair, formerly Switzerland’s na- with more than 270 locations in 48 handling arm. However, it has had
tional airline until, after various mis- countries, and an annual turnover in a steady programme of outsourc-
adventures, the airline became part excess of three billion Swiss francs. ing these services in recent years at
of Lufthansa. The private equity (PE) Not surprisingly, with that kind various airports around the world. In
house Candover acquired Swissport, of reach, announcements from Swiss- May this year, SAS signed a letter of
then a wholly owned subsidiary of port of new contract wins with airlines intent with Aviator Airport Alliance
Swissair in 2002 and sold it on to the and new ground handling agreements Europe (Aviator) whereby it agreed
Spanish infrastructure firm Ferrovial that extend its presence globally, are to outsource ground handling at
in 2006. It was acquired by its pre- a frequent occurrence. The latest an- Gothenburg and Malmö.
sent owners, the French PE firm PAI nouncements of this sort at the time However, SAS decided to continue
Partners in 2010 for €654 million – a of writing were an agreement with to do its own ground handling at the
price that already signalled the extent COBALT, the new Cypriot national main Scandinavian airports. Accord-
to which Swissport had become a pow- carrier that takes Swissport into 13 ing to SAS, outsourcing has saved the
erhouse in the international ground airports where COBALT has a pres- group some SEK 300 million ($33.3
handling game. ence, and an agreement with Jazeera million) over the past two years. But
Swissport has become a highly Airways KSC to provide ground and the carrier argues that a major digiti-
successful acquisition management air cargo services at King Abdulaziz sation programme currently underway
operation, with one transaction after International airport in Jeddah, and will enable further streamlining and
another turning cash positive for the King Khaled International in Riyadh. customer improvements to be made
company. It is now, with some justi- Jazeera Airways therefore becomes in ground handling, and that it is best
fication, able to claim the title of the Swissport’s launch customer in the placed to do this at the major Scandi-
world’s largest ground handing group, Saudi capital. It has also picked up the navian airports.
8 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comGROUND HANDLING | CHALLENGES
As 2016 draws to a close, and with the discussions carried out at this year’s IATA Ground
Handling Conference in mind, AGS gathers perspectives on four major challenges facing the
ground handling industry
S
afety is a vital pillar of is working towards better safety per- “Working day and night on the
the GH industry. Which formance is dnata’s One Safety pro- ramp in all weather conditions is
initiatives ought to be gramme, which includes specific train- challenging for man and machine so
pursued in order to improve ing of front-line supervisors so that well-maintained equipment including
safety standards, and why? What they recognise how crucial their roles anti-collision and other safety meas-
makes these things so important? are in managing safe turnarounds. ures makes handling safer. And here
The general consensus on this topic This includes both technical train- comes the dilemma. As a carrier, we
is that “Safety is the prime considera- ing on risk identification as well as of course want our GHA to use only
tion and the driver for everything that cultural awareness and coaching, di- GSE with the latest available technol-
happens within the industry,” as Paul visional senior vice president Stewart ogy; as GHA, however, upgrading all
Craig, managing director at Aviance Angus outlines. The programme also GSE to the latest available technology
Ghana, puts it. “When we push for involves specific training for all ramp is not always feasible and also costly.
faster turnarounds and examine OTP staff on hazard identification, safety The question here is if new technology
we must never trade safety against awareness and cultural training. This shouldn’t without fail be integrated
performance; however, working safely includes training on how to perform into new equipment by the providers?
takes no longer than cutting corners. peer observations, so that all staff are This would help to challenge all GSE
The golden rule of aviation is to follow fully cognizant of the role they play in providers to further invest in research
procedures. The human factor com- safe turnarounds. and provide best possible solutions to
bined with SMS training has to be at the industry,” he suggests.
the heart of the operation. We should As for the Ground Damage Data-
not place one above the other as it is a base, which supports the reporting cul-
combination of cultures that makes it ture already alluded to, Jossart notes:
tick,” he sums up. “By reporting every incident and thus
Several initiatives take prime im- making it available to the experts, the
portance in the drive for improved experienced mishap will help to define
safety in ground handling. According adequate and standardised processes
to Forsyth Black, president and man- to make ramp handling all around the
aging director of Menzies Aviation, world safer. We should not hide be-
“The first is training. Ensuring that hind confidentiality or other protec-
our employees stick to official proce- tive arguments to not report aircraft
dures will make the greatest impact on damages as only by providing this in-
our safety performance. Our operating Paul Craig, managing director formation will solutions be elaborated.
procedures are designed explicitly to at Aviance Ghana We are currently preparing our ISAGO
avoid safety risks, and they’re written implementation and are confident that
by experts on the subject; our job is to Finally, One Safety covers “proac- it will lead to a more standardised,
continually reinforce how important it tive communications with our airline documented and an even safer ramp
is that they are followed to the letter.” customers to ensure a common focus handling operation,” he adds.
The second major point is estab- on the safety of people, cargo and air- Protege managing director Mário
lishing a reporting culture. “Hand craft and that this is never compro- Baptista suggests that on top of train-
in hand with a determination to do mised for a speedy turnaround. There ing, an efficient quality control pro-
things right, must go a willingness to is no single solution when it comes gramme, with a solid corrective and
report when they go wrong,” Black ex- to ground safety. Every one of our preventive action plan, forms an im-
plains. “Only by completing this feed- initiatives is designed to support the portant part of safety management – as
back loop can we maintain a clear pic- achievement of a ‘One Safety’ mindset does an internal safety committee that
ture of where our greatest safety risks and putting this into action in every- can discuss possible improvements
– and hence our most pressing training thing that we do. Total safety is the and bring these to fruition. These three
needs – are, and act accordingly. product of all our initiatives working initiatives are interdependent, but he
“There’s a theme here, because both together,” he points out. feels that having in place a good qual-
of these are behaviours. We’re a people At LuxairCargo, executive vice pres- ity control programme will automati-
business and behaviour matters more ident Laurent Jossart adds that besides cally bring about the other two recom-
than anything else: the right ones keep training, GSE with the latest technol- mendations through the prevention
us safe,” he adds. ogy is also of vital importance, as is the and corrective action plans.
One example of how the industry IATA Ground Damage Database. Baptista also comments that man-
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Winter 2016/Spring 2017 Airline Ground Services 9GROUND HANDLING | CHALLENGES
Æ
agement must participate in safety ference in a global market and we are
initiatives to help encourage staff to constantly working on new and inno-
behave in accordance with safety pro- vative ways to enhance our operations
tocols. Kürsad Koçak, general man- for our customers.”
ager at Havas Ground Handling Co, Elsewhere, “I make no secret of the
is in strong agreement with this point. fact that I believe transitioning from a
“Safety commitment requires a strong paper-based to a digital environment
leadership, and without this manage- is the right way to go – but crucially,
ment effect, it is not possible to miti- it has to be right for our customers,”
gate the risk factors to required levels,” says Black. “We’re already incorporat-
he declares. ing digital processes, and it’s something
Following a similar line of thought we’ll continue to do; however, ensuring
to Baptista, Norbert Bielderman, man- that our customers are bought in to –
aging director and CEO at Nigerian Protege’s Mario Baptista and will see benefit from – each switch
Aviation Handling Company (Nahco will be the most important factor in de-
Aviance), emphasises the importance tified training facility where we termining the rate of our progress.”
of a safety management system, “gen- perform all sort of training but all In the passenger business, carriers
erally described as a systematic ap- training have one thing in com- began providing the possibility to indi-
proach to managing safety, including mon: safety first! vidual customers to compare rates and
the necessary organisational struc- • State-of-the-art and well-main- book a ticket for themselves through
tures, accountabilities, policies and tained equipment. At SGS, we year- the Internet. In order to be able to
procedures” as essential for operations ly invest millions in purchasing and compete, all carriers had to adapt and
in the sector. It is a process that should maintenance of equipment. propose an on-line booking solution,
be a significant part of the operations • An open culture of communication which led to the development of a pa-
system of any ground handler as a com- and feedback regarding any possi- perless process from booking through
prehensive and effective process for ble incidents, unsuitable routines payment to embarking.
managing safety risks. A safety man- or risks. A communication culture In the cargo business, on the other
agement system helps ground han- of openness and rewarding sugges- hand, the booking and consequently
dlers to reduce safety risks to the bar- tions on how to eliminate potential all the paperwork including Customs
est minimum. Beyond the regulatory risks is key to reduce potential risks formalities are mainly provided by for-
aspect, ground handlers should adopt and further improve training re- warders or cargo agents, all of whom
and implement a safety management sulting in improved safety.” use different IT tools and systems, Jos-
system from a legal and best practice sart points out.
operational perspective,” alongside It has been said that the large-scale “As a consequence, the process
participating in IATA’s ISAGO and buy-in of paperless processes is and especially the data transfer, even
Ground Damage Database initiatives. lOBMMZHBJOJOHNPNFOUVNBTUIF if already standardised, remains more
“These three initiatives are im- ‘millennials’ enter the workforce complex. As a GHA we see it every day
portant because they provide oppor- in greater numbers. Are efforts to with the amounts of AWB data capture
tunities to review existing safety risk encourage or even force change all we need to arrange even though a hard
processes by conducting in-depth root in vain? Can the industry afford copy of the AWB is available and the
cause analysis into incidents and ac- to wait longer for the change to information on those AWB has been
cidents and providing functional solu- take hold naturally? And why has keyed into an IT system at the start
tions and procedures, thereby creating cargo been so much slower than of the forwarding process. There is no
learning curves for safety risk improve- passenger to get the switch to added value in re-arranging the full
ment,” he sums up. “I would advise that digital processes started? AWB data capture and it is in fact diffi-
the most important of the three pro- As an industry, ground handlers cult to understand why progress takes
cesses is the ISAGO audit programme have historically been slow to embrace so long. Expensive manpower should
as it encompasses the SMS review new technology and automation, An- be used for more valued tasks and du-
and the GDDB reporting processes. gus agrees. However: “dnata sees tech- plicate of works prevented. Unfortu-
However, ground handlers that do not nological innovation as a point of dif- nately as a GHA, you do not have any
subscribed to the ISAGO programme possibility to enforce the data transfer
can implement an independent safety – with the exception that you can en-
management system and still achieve courage carriers to avoid the accept-
significant safety improvement.” ance of shipments without available
In conclusion, summing up the electronic data by making the service
general feeling in response to this ques- payable.”
tion, Saudi Ground Services general Koçak echoes these views, pointing
manager marketing and sales Ahmed out that when it comes to air cargo op-
Jannah considers: “Safety is, no doubt, erations, there are numerous links in
the outstanding most important aspect the supply chain, Integrating any digi-
of our service. It’s an aspect never to tal system into this complicated struc-
be compromised. To safeguard a very ture requires the systems of all parties
high level of safety I believe the follow- involved to be synchronised, making it
ing three aspects are key parts: less simple than digitising passenger
• Staff training and follow-up. At Ahmed Jannah of SGS operations. In Turkey, he says, IATA’s
SGS, we have our own IATA-cer- e-AWB and e-Freight initiatives are
10 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comYour gateway to local experts By uniting local experts in an innovative multi-station network, we provide custo- mer airlines with streamlined access to high-quality, customized ground hand- ling services. www.ground.net
GROUND HANDLING | CHALLENGES
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helping to solve the problem. Indeed: “Paperless processing is and although the political situation is
In general: “Since this is a digital the future in aviation operations and still foggy the way to overcome barri-
age, paperless technology has become it is fantastic to see the momentum in ers is always to invest in quality and
an important necessity in our daily buy-in from across the board,” remarks safety.”
operations. As of 2013, we have been Bielderman enthusiastically. “The ad- Baptista reckons Africa offers the
using electronic service forms and vantages of implementing paperless most challenges – but also, perhaps,
invoices. Implementing this paper- processing across ground operations more opportunities than other regions.
less system within our organisation cannot be over-emphasised. Nahco Handlers in Africa are “severely affect-
allowed us to achieve huge savings Aviance recently upgraded its cargo ed” by operational challenges such as
of paper while we handle thousands management software to enable it run inadequate infrastructure – many Afri-
of flights a week. Using computer- better and also integrate effectively can airports are obsolete, Bielderman
ised systems would also contribute into the enterprise software programs says, and this is often the reason why
to the operational productivity while to facilitate -cargo operations. ground handlers cannot efficiently
“I believe strongly that the efforts meet service level agreements.
to encourage paperless processing “Handlers in the region are also
are not in vain as the improvement in plagued by the high cost of operations,
numbers of organisations subscribing high charges from regulatory authori-
to the system is increasing by the day. ties and government agencies who
Airway bills are mostly paperless now manage the airports across the conti-
and major airliners and ground han- nent and skyrocketing GSE costs due
dlers have been able to integrate their to unstable currencies and economic
software to seamlessly process cargo. challenges across African countries.”
This will only improve as millennials On the flip side, Bielderman com-
who are technology savvy begin to join ments that European sector has per-
the aviation workforce.” haps seen greater challenges to safety
Bielderman feels that the crux of and security with regards to the recent
Kursad Koçak, general manager at non-implementation of paperless pro- terrorist attacks at airports in Turkey
Havas Ground Handling Co
cessing in cargo operations has been and Belgium.
down to “divergent interests and fear Whatever, the efforts to overcome
increased quality and punctuality of of the unknown”. To a large extent, ma- challenges for the continued growth
work has become highly important in jor stakeholders already have the re- and stability of the aviation industry
the ground handling business. quired systems in place, but some are must include all stakeholders. Govern-
“For example, Havas uses simulator concerned about losing control and ments ought to take responsibility for
systems during pushback training for independence over aspects of the cargo increased safety and security of the fly-
its pushback operator candidates and processes. Corruption also plays a role, ing public in Europe, while the African
takes advantage of technology in this he believes, especially with regards to industry needs all industry stakehold-
area, which results in minimising the some of the state agencies that form a ers to make concerted efforts at re-
risk factors and enabling quick adap- critical part of the cargo handling pro- vamping the industry, improving air-
tation of the personnel. Both of these cess and who have formed the greatest port infrastructure and implementing
efforts play major roles for our envi- roadblock to total e-Freight opera- palliative measures against currency
ronmental policy by saving paper in tions, in his view. fluctuations, he urges.
our daily operations and burning less Furthermore, Craig notes that not Still, as Baptista observed, there
fuel during the training.” all parts of the world are at the same are opportunities in Africa. Bielder-
Baptista, meanwhile, feels that stage of development when it comes man goes on: “The African market has
technology is there to help, but that to technology. For instance: “Sub-Sa- been growing significantly in the past
change cannot be forced because haran Africa is an emerging continent years and this has been an encouraging
“in general people are afraid of any but so many modern-day processes factor for airliners and ground han-
change”. Therefore, smooth transitions rely entirely on Internet-driven com- dlers. Passenger numbers rose at our
are very important – as is staff buy-in. munication – which we do not have. In main hub in Lagos from 5,654,122 in
Plus: “Costs for sure are a barrier my opinion most ‘paperless’ processes 2009 to 7,561, 507 in 2014, a difference
for implementing new technologies end with a paper trail.”
and nowadays even more due to the
current global economic situation. So, Which region of the world poses
in my opinion cargo, due to safety con- the greatest challenges for the GH
cerns and low return (maybe because industry, and why? How can these
cargo is not a priority within the com- challenges be overcome – is it
mercial airlines), is behind in the tech- down to handlers, their customers,
nological race.” governments...? What are the
While acknowledging that cost is a opportunities there that make it
necessary consideration, Jannah feels worthwhile persevering to develop a
that modern technology is “an obvi- presence in this region?
ous opportunity that we must avail “If I can point out the difficulties
ourselves of. Continuous development in Brazil, they are very related to regu-
and improvement is a normal part of lation and economics,” says Baptista.
our work at SGS. We must all be most “The Brazilian market has changed Laurent Jossart of LuxairCargo
open to changes!” considerably in these last two years
12 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comGROUND HANDLING | CHALLENGES
of about 25%. The same was the case gion in question, because finding ways signed the resolution denouncing the
at the busiest airports on the continent over today’s hurdles is what will deliver illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife
(OR Tambo, Johannesburg; Cairo In- tomorrow’s successes.” products,” he adds.
ternational Airport; and Cape Town Baptista sees ground handlers as
International), which recorded growth 5IFSFJTKVTUJlBCMFDPODFSOPWFSUIF having an important role in preventing
figures of 8.84%, 2.1% and 11.8 % re- scale of the illegal wildlife trade. illegal trade in wildlife – but feels that
spectively between 2009 and 2014.” What can – and should – the GH all players must meet to discuss and
As far as Sub-Saharan Africa goes, industry be doing to help put a stop define how to stop it happening in the
Craig highlights problems relating to to this? How can the industry’s aviation environment.
bureaucracy, infrastructure, education suppliers, customers and partners Koçak is clear on how the indus-
and culture. Overcoming these chal- help? try should act. “The first step would
lenges takes time so handlers have to “This is a subject close to my heart,” be sustaining an operation that is in
work within local limitations while says Angus. “dnata4good is an inter- compliance with the global standards
steadily driving change. “Everything is nal engagement programme which al- of animal transportation regulated
possible but the route to achievement lows our staff to raise money for good under IATA Live Animals Regula-
differs from country to country,” he causes with their donations matched tions to avoid illegal wildlife trade.
says, stressing that “There is not and These regulations must be followed
should not be a global answer.” by industry suppliers and customers
There are some regions where air- as well as by other involving parties.
lines have suffered disproportionately It should not be possible to accept liv-
from poor service levels, delays and ing animals that do not have a shipper
aircraft damage. These seem to in- declaration form in particular – and
clude USA, Canada and Latin America checking documents like CITES (the
according to Angus – who reckons that Convention on International Trade
challenges are overcome and improve- in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
ments made in those areas where there and Flora) can also help handlers to
has been a commitment on the part of understand the transportation re-
all stakeholders to make a concerted strictions on animals and avoid any
effort to change the status quo. possible illegal trade risk.”
In Koçak’s opinion: “Liberalisa- IATA Live Animal training has
tion and growth in ground handling dnata’s Stewart Angus been provided to Havas Cargo staff to
markets continue particularly in Latin make sure that they are familiar with
America, Africa, the Middle East, East- by the company up to AED1 million the requirements of live animal ac-
ern Europe, Russia and Asian markets. (US$272,279) per year. Through this ceptance. Koçak is confident that fo-
On the other hand, each market has its scheme, we have already established cusing on industry standards should
own challenges like different local pro- a rehabilitation centre for orphaned be sufficient to avoid attempts at trad-
cedures and regulations, unions, infra- rhinos along with a mobile medical ing illegally in wildlife.
structure and working culture. These services unit in South Africa as well However there are obstacles. “What
elements must be carefully evaluated as anti-poaching controls to help pre- we have observed is that corruption
during the planning stage of an in- serve this beautiful and rare animal. It and compromise by some criminal gov-
vestment project. However, the strong is a good feeling to know that our staff ernment officials who are supposed to
growth in those markets and limited are making a difference to the world. be the first line of defence against il-
competition in some areas still make We also work with many of our airline legal wildlife trade is the reason why
those emerging markets attractive for customers to prevent the air transpor- the trade has continued,” Bielderman
ground handlers. tation of illegal wildlife.” remarks. “Ground handlers are not di-
“We believe all stakeholders have to dnata4good is just one example rectly responsible for checking the con-
contribute to the solution of the prob- of a proactive response to the illegal tents of shipments and will only accept
lems in their areas. Like many other wildlife trade. Black sees improve- a shipment that has been certified as
foreign investors, ground handlers also ments in cargo security as the most OK by government officials. Govern-
seek a reliable and stable political en- productive route, while Jannah states ment agencies should conduct a com-
vironment and regulatory framework simply: “The GH industry must always prehensive risk analysis of each and
which support competition and service follow applicable rules, laws and in- every cargo shipment and fully under-
quality. These factors offer a strong po- structions issued by different bodies. stand the adverse effects of letting such
tential when combined with an emerg- No exceptions!” Craig believes that shipments escape their searchlight.”
ing aviation market. Eventually, all governments should take the lead, but Furthermore: “Government agen-
aviation industry stakeholders includ- that “everyone is a stakeholder to drive cies and NGOs focused on animal
ing authorities and air carriers benefit change”. rights can do a lot to create awareness
from a stable and reliable ground han- Similarly: “Every GHA, same as about the ills of illegal wild life trade
dling industry and therefore, all play- the carriers and forwarders, should be and also implement severe sanctions
ers should support it.” aware of and work hand in hand with for those found erring. That said,
Black’s view is that every region the local authorities to prevent illegal ground handlers can intensify moni-
has its own unique blend of challenges wildlife trade,” Jossart affirms. “Trans- toring efforts by double-checking at
and they are too nuanced to permit any parency is key and as soon as you have the screening points and exit points
sort of ranking. As for the second part a doubt, you should proactively report using advanced technology such as
of the question, he says: “It’s always to the authorities and have the ship- comprehensive RA3 protocols and
worth persevering, no matter the re- ment checked. Luxair has recently ETD technology.”
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Winter 2016/Spring 2017 Airline Ground Services 13INTERVIEW | CRAIG SMYTH: WFS
One of the ‘big four’ handlers, WFS, appointed a new CEO just a few months ago – and he has
clear plans for the company’s growth in the years to come
C
raig Smyth joined WFS in couple of months into the role, how routines of the future.
August after more than have things been going? There are no big surprises. WFS is
two decades at John Men- A. Today I think is eight weeks in what you think it is: people that are
zies, his most recent post the post for me. I’ve been with Menzies steeped in cargo. It’s a 40-year-old
being CEO of Menzies from the start and I’ve closely followed business. Most people I’ve met have
Aviation (a role he assumed in 2004). other businesses in the industry. WFS been with the organisation for more
A qualified accountant, he previously was always a business I had followed than 20 years so slightly more history
served as the company’s CFO. AGS closely and admired, and had certain than somewhere like Menzies. They’re
spoke to him at The International Air views on. Now, I’m inside the business all very passionate about what they do
Cargo Association’s 28th Air Cargo – in the guts of the business. I’ve been – very passionate about cargo. They’re
Forum & Exhibition held in Paris dur- splitting my time between induction, all great people They’re ‘people people’
ing October, to find out how his new learning, understanding and meet- who are big into relationships both
role is panning out so far and how he ing people as well as some of the basic within the organisation and with cus-
sees the future. routines that have to be done in a big tomers. They’re not ‘here today, gone
organisation – so, meeting with share- tomorrow’ with customers. Custom-
Q. You were appointed to the post holders and bondholders, monthly ers trust them implicitly over a long
of CEO of WFS in August. Just a reporting and setting up some of the period of time. If things do go wrong,
there’s a lot of patience and goodwill to
sort out whatever the issues are.
Everybody has made me incredibly
welcome. I did say to somebody the
other day that WFS is like a league of
gentlemen. At Menzies, we came from
very humble beginnings with very
Celtic roots so we were sort of the small
guy hustling. I guess in the last five or
10 years or so the business came of age.
WFS is very graceful – that’s probably
the French heritage as well, plus the
type of people that have grown up in
that business. It’s a different culture –
a culture that I’m happy to belong to,
to grow and develop within their ex-
isting culture rather than change it to
something that would be alien to them.
That’s certainly not my intention.
14 Airline Ground Services Winter 2016/Spring 2017 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comINTERVIEW | CRAIG SMYTH: WFS
Q. What particular skills and for high-volume, low-cost and legacy still learning the network and some
experience – whether from the airlines, that is, narrow body airlines. of it is a crossover with Menzies while
handling arena or elsewhere – are So I know the cargo business pretty some of it is new. It’s trying to work
you able to bring to your new well but I think my skill is as an ex- with local people from local cultures
position that you believe will take accountant who is an administrator and make them feel supported, be it
WFS forward? and who usually never had an original with the tools or be it with the align-
A. Well, the caveat is that I’m only thought in his life! But you see the best ment of goals and the spirit. This isn’t
eight weeks old. I think WFS has grown that’s out there and you think, ‘That’s a absolute, but you have an American
up rooted in France with acquisitions, good idea, why don’t we do that some- running America, a Brazilian run-
a bit of organic development and joint where else?’ Or, ‘That’s a good process ning Brazil, a French person running
ventures. As most handling businesses or a good discipline or a good system.’ France – and then fuse that with the
have in common, it’s got great people, It’s about trying to put people together process and structure and products of
great safety and security, great financial and borrow from different parts of the a cargo and ground handling business.
performance and great customer rela- organisation or other organisations,
tionships. It’s been incredibly success- be they in this industry or other indus- Q. How much involvement do you
ful in the main because it’s had really tries that we could learn from. think Platinum Equity is going to have
good people – and again, really good That’s what I bring to the party: in determining the future of
people in cargo and with cargo tools. I’m an administrator of complex, WFS?
I do believe in people having the multinational businesses in avia- A. I had my sec-
right tools for the job so there’ll be tion services where you really ond op con, which is
an element of further investment in are reliant on groups of people like a board meet-
cargo, honing the cargo product. WFS working as a team with com- ing, last night and
is the biggest and the best cargo han- mon goals. they’re very sup-
dler in the world and we want to make portive. If you
sure that position is cemented for the Q. Obviously WFS has look at what they
future; there’s more support we can EJGGFSFOUPGlDFTBSPVOEUIF did, they invested
give to the people in the field when it world. How do you bring the a lot of money
comes to the cargo product – making different cultures into play? in WFS and then
sure we have the right chill stores, the How do you manage that?
right pharma trucks, the right capabil- A. I think it’s difficult to
ity to handle live animals or human stipulate from a WFS point of
remains or secure products or pharma view because I’m
so that we are a 21st-century business.
Some of that will take a small invest-
ment. The IT system is quite good but
there’s more technology we can har-
ness. There are slightly different ver-
sions of some of the cargo systems so
we’re looking at levelling up. WFS is the biggest and the best
Cargospot is the main one that cargo handler in the world and we
we use. There’s Hermes in one or two want to make sure that position
places and there’s still ABS out there. is cemented for the future
It could be that there’s a front end that Craig Smyth
could sit on top and drill down, and
could give the KPIs and the customer
information, so we’re looking at that.
WFS was run as a diverse geo-
graphical network with almost no cen-
tral functions, so at the moment I’m
building the central capability. Lots of
the business is operating very well and
has good processes and people, but
it’s not really coordinated and run as
a network. Without losing the entre-
preneurial spirit out there, I want to
give more central support so the WFS
brand gets taken to the next level and
you can say, ‘These are the 10 things
you always get with WFS,’ be it physi-
cal or intellectual property.
I know the industry pretty well and
my roots were in cargo – starting off
with AMI with cargo forwarding, then
cargo trucking, then cargo handling.
Then ground handling was the big
success – finding the magic formula
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Winter 2016/Spring 2017 Airline Ground Services 15You can also read
