A ground-handling tug pulls a British Airways Boeing 747-400 at London Heathrow Airport, England

In aviation, aircraft ground handling defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a terminal gate of an airport. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1500x1043, 141 KB) A ground-handling tug pulls a British Airways Boeing 747-400 (G-CIVC) across a public road at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1500x1043, 141 KB) A ground-handling tug pulls a British Airways Boeing 747-400 (G-CIVC) across a public road at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ... The Boeing 747-400 is the latest version of the Boeing 747 in service. ... Heathrow redirects here. ... Aviation encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices created by human ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. ...

Overview

Many airlines subcontract ground handling to an airport or a handling agent, or even to another airline. Ground handling addresses the many service requirements of a passenger aircraft between the time 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 minimize the turnaround time (the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate). A subcontract is a contract that assigns part of an existing contract to a different party. ... An Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ... A Boeing 777 jet airliner of American Airlines landing at Heathrow Airport, London. ...

Small airlines sometimes subcontract aircraft maintenance to a much larger and reputable carrier, as it is a short-term cheaper alternative to setting up an independent maintenance base. Aircraft Maintenance is the technology related to the actions required to maintain (or improve) the airworthiness and the designed-in reliability of an aircraft and its systems, subsystems, and components throughout the life-cycle of the aircraft. ...

Some airlines may enter into a Maintenance and Ground Support Agreement (MAGSA) with each other, which is used by airlines to assess costs for maintenance and support to aircraft.

Most ground services are not directly related to the actual flying of the aircraft, and instead involve other maintenance tasks. The major categories of ground handling services are described below.

Cabin service

These services ensure passenger comfort. They include such tasks as cleaning the passenger cabin and replenishment of on-board consumables or washable items such as soap, pillows, tissues, blankets, etc.

Catering

Catering includes the unloading of unused food and drink from the aircraft, and the loading of fresh food and drink for passengers and crew. Airline meals are typically delivered in trolleys. The empty or trash-filled trolley(s) from the previous flight is replaced by a fresh one. Meals are prepared mostly on the ground in order to minimize the amount of preparation (apart from chilling or reheating) required in the air. A professionally catered event Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site. ... Workers load a Cruise Ship in Charlotte Amalie, USVI A storeroom onboard the Silverseas Silver Whisper Cruise ships consume vast amounts of food every day, the following is a list of supplies provisioned onboard the Celebrity cruise ship Constellation for a average 7 day cruise. ... Lunch at Garuda Indonesia (long haul, economy class); Japanese style, with teriyaki beef and rice, dorayaki, buckwheat noodles, and a beverage An airline meal is a meal served to passengers on a commercial airliner. ... A cart is a vehicle or device, using two wheels and normally one horse, designed for transport. ...

The following companies are some, which airline parent company's own, have owned, or have outsourced and divested, but still continue to provide airline catering to the world's airlines. A holding company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors. ... Divestment (divestiture) is a term in finance and economics. ...

• Cara Operations
• Cathay Pacific's Cathay Pacific Catering Services
• Gate Gourmet
• LSG Sky Chefs
• Servair
• American Airlines
• United Airlines

Cara Operations Limited (formerly TSX:CAO, CAO.A) is a privately owned Canadian company that provides catering services to airlines and operates several restaurant and coffee shop chains including: Harveys, Swiss Chalet, Second Cup, Kelseys and Montanas. ... Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (traditional Chinese: ; SEHK: 0293, OTCBB: CPCAY) is the largest airline and flag carrier of Hong Kong. ... A Gate Gourmet catering truck servicing an Air Berlin aircraft at Hamburg Airport Gate Gourmet is an airline catering firm with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and Reston, Virginia, USA. As of 2004 it had 22,000 employees, a revenue of 2. ... An LSG Sky Chefs truck services a Boeing 777 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport LSG Sky Chefs is the brand name of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, which specializes in airline catering. ... Servair is a subsidiary of the French airline Air France, specialised in airline catering. ... American Airlines, Inc. ... United Airlines is a major airline of the United States. ...

Ramp service

This includes services on the ramp or apron, such as: The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. ...

• Guiding the aircraft into and out of the parking position (by way of Aircraft marshalling),
• Towing with pushback tractors
• Lavatory drainage
• Water cartage (to refill fresh water tanks)
• Air conditioning (more common for smaller aircraft)
• Airstart units (for starting engines)
• Luggage handling, usually by means of beltloaders and baggage carts
• Air cargo handling, usually by means of cargo dollies, and cargo loaders
• Catering trucks
• Refuelling, which may be done with a refuelling tanker truck or refuelling pumper
• Ground power (so that engines need not be running to provide aircraft power on the ground)
• Passenger stairs (used instead of an aerobridge or airstairs, some budget airlines use both to improve turnaround speed)
• Wheelchair lifts, if required
• Hydraulic mules (units that provide hydraulic power to an aircraft externally)
• Deicing

Marshaller guiding a plane with beacons Aircraft marshalling is a method of visual signalling between ground personnel and pilots on an airport, aircraft carrier or helipad. ... A conventional tractor connected to a Boeing 777 A KLM Boeing 777 being pushed back from a gate at Narita International Airport. ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... FedEx DC-10 Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. ... A professionally catered event Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site. ... An Aerobridge is a motorised boarding tunnel for boarding aircraft. ... Boeing 727 with rear airstair deployed An airstair is a passenger staircase that is built in to an airliner - often, though not always, on the inside of the bottom half of a clamshell-style door. ... An American Airlines MD-80 aircraft being de-iced at Syracuse Hancock International Airport De-icing is the process of removing ice from a surface. ...

Passenger service

This includes services inside the airport terminal such as: An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes. ...

• Providing check-in counter services for the passengers departing on the customer airlines.
• Providing Gate arrival and departure services. The agents are required to meet a flight on arrival as well as provide departure services including boarding passengers, closing the flight, etc.
• Staffing the Transfer Counters, Customer Service Counters, Airline Lounges, etc.

Field Operation Service

This service dispatches the aircraft, maintains communication with the rest of the airline operation at the airport and with Air Traffic Control. For the Canadian musical group, see Air Traffic Control (band). ...

List of handling agents

• Valley Fliers
• Aviapartner
• Aviance
• Big Orange Handling Company
• CanWest Flight Services
• Cara Operations
• Gate Gourmet
• GTL - LOT Usługi Lotniskowe sp. z o.o.
• Flightcare
• Flight Support
• Kion de Mexico
• Jet Aviation
• LOT Ground Services sp. z o.o. (LGS)
• LSG Sky Chefs
• [MALÉV Ground Handling Budapest]
• Menzies Aviation
• National Handling Services Company Ltd.
• [New Delhi Aviation - Leading Aviation Group]
• Plane Handling
• PrimeFlight Aviation Services
• SAS Ground Services
• Servair
• Servisair
• SheltAir Aviation Services
• Sky Handling Partner
• Skytrails Aviation
• Swissport
• Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.
• Warsaw Airport Services sp. z o.o. (WAS)
• WingTips Airport Services

Aviapartner is a company which provides aircraft ground handling at 32 airports across 5 European countries. ... Big Orange Handling Company is a ground handling company owned by Menzies Aviation in which budget airline, Easyjet have a small stake in providing them the ground services at their various hubs. ... Cara Operations Limited (formerly TSX:CAO, CAO.A) is a privately owned Canadian company that provides catering services to airlines and operates several restaurant and coffee shop chains including: Harveys, Swiss Chalet, Second Cup, Kelseys and Montanas. ... A Gate Gourmet catering truck servicing an Air Berlin aircraft at Hamburg Airport Gate Gourmet is an airline catering firm with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and Reston, Virginia, USA. As of 2004 it had 22,000 employees, a revenue of 2. ... Kion de Mexico is a subsidiary company by UAL Corporation created for serving aircraft ground handling for United Airlines. ... Jet Aviation is a world wide aircraft servicing company based in Switzerland, mainly operating in the business jet market. ... An LSG Sky Chefs truck services a Boeing 777 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport LSG Sky Chefs is the brand name of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, which specializes in airline catering. ... John Menzies PLC is a Scottish business established in 1833. ... Founded in 1987 at Radius Park, Plane Handling has grown to become one of the largest independent ground handling companies in the United Kingdom. ... PrimeFlight Aviation Services, a SMS Holdings company, is an aviation services provider. ... SAS Ground Services is Europes third largest full-service provider of Airline Ground Handling and Airport Related Services. ... Servair is a subsidiary of the French airline Air France, specialised in airline catering. ... Servisair is an aircraft ground handling company, operating at 175 airports worldwide. ... SheltAir Aviation Services is a fixed base operator (FBO) with a total of eleven locations in Florida and New York. ... Skytrails Aviation is a full service fixed base operator (FBO) located at the Van Nuys Airport in the City of Los Angeles. ... Swissport International Ltd. ... Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. ... // WingTips Airport Services (WingTips), owned by C N Richardson Marketing Ltd, was founded in Calgary, Alberta, in 1990 by Chris Richardson. ...

See also

• Ground Support Equipment
• Pushback

Ground Support Equipment Ground Support Equipment is found on an airport, usually on the ramp (servicing area by terminal). ... A conventional tractor connected to a Boeing 777 A KLM Boeing 777 being pushed back from a gate at Narita International Airport. ...

External links

• IATA Ground Handling Council
• AirlineMeals.net - Behind the scenes of inflight catering
• American Air Service
• Aerospace Ground Support Equipment Community