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In aviation, aircraft ground handling or ground operations defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a terminal gate of an airport.
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In aviation, aircraft ground handling or ground operations defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a terminal gate of an airport.
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. [1] Ground handling addresses the many service requirements of an airliner 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). [2] Faster turnarounds for lower ground times are correlated to better profits. [3]
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, which are updated annually based on changes in the U.S. Producer Price Index.[ citation needed ] 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. [4] 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 are described below.
Services related to aircraft cleanliness and passenger comfort:
Catering includes the unloading of unused food and drink from the aircraft, and the loading of fresh food and drink for passengers and crew. In flight airline meals are delivered at the seats in airline service trolleys. Empty or trash-filled trolley from the previous flight are replaced with fresh ones. Meals are prepared mostly on the ground in order to minimize the amount of preparation (apart from chilling or reheating) required in flight.
While some airlines provide their own catering, others have either owned catering companies in the past and divested themselves of the companies, or have outsourced their catering to third-party companies. Airline catering sources include the following companies:
This includes services on the ramp or apron, such as:
This includes services inside the airport terminal such as:
This service dispatches the aircraft, maintains communication with the rest of the airline operation at the airport and with Air Traffic Control.
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Air India Airport Services Limited - All Indian Airports - presently providing services at 74 airports in India. Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited - Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Mangalore, Cochin. LAS Ground Force Handling - Goa, Udaipur & Bagdogra Bhadra International India Pvt Ltd - Chennai Bird Worldwide Flight Services Pvt Ltd - Delhi, Mumbai & Kochi Livewel Aviation -Mumbai & Delhi Globe Ground India - Ahmadabad, Bangalore Indo Thai Airport Management Services Pvt Ltd - Amritsar, Lucknow & Mohali Agile Airport Services Pvt Ltd - presently providing services at 8 airports in India.
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Airport Services (parent company: Cathay Pacific) Jardine Aviation Services (parent company: Jardine Matheson) SATS HK (parent company: Hong Kong Airlines) United Airlines 
Nepal Airlines - Kathmandu
Airmach Aviation 1 Aviation dnata Philippines MacroAsia Airport Services Corporation MDFS PHILIPPINES Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions
LGS Handling SWISSPORT
Groupe Europe Handling 3S Alyzia AviaPartner Ladybird Ground Services Samsic Assistance [7] Servair 
Goldair Skyserv
Sky Handling Partner
Airport Handling
HAVAS Ground Handling Co.
Airline Services American Airlines Handling (Subsidiary of American Airlines) [8] Aviator Nordic Azzurra / Premiere Handling Blue Handling (joint venture between Ryanair and OmniServ [9] ) British Airways Cobalt Ground Solutions [10] DHL Dnata Gatwick Ground Services (Subsidiary of British Airways) [11] Jet2 Handling Menzies Aviation Signature Flight Support [12] Star Handling Swissport GB World Flight Services (WFS) Premiere Executive Handling Ltd ASC Handling Services
ASE – Egypt Member ASE Group 
ASE – UAE Member Of ASE Group 
SE – Morocco Member Of ASE Group New Star Aviation Services dnata (Also active in other countries) Egypt Air Ground Services 
Saudi Private Aviation-SPA Saudia Cargo Saudia Ground Services-SGS HAVAS Ground Handling Co. 
Oman Air 
Shaheen Airport Services Royal Airport Services Gerry's dnata Airways Flight Support Services 
BAS (Bahrain Airport Services)
QAS (Qatar Aviation Services)
El Al Laufer GHI QAS (Quality Airport Services) Aerohandling
Swissport Airport Terminal Services (ATS) Menzies Aviation GTA Dnata Air North Strategic Aviation Global Aviation Ironman Holdings Allied Aviation Air Canada 
Kion de Mexico Aeromexico Servicios
Alliance Ground International and Subsidiaries Dnata G2 Secure Staff GAT Airline Ground Support McGee Air Services Menzies Aviation Swissport Trego/Dugan Aviation Unifi Aviation United Ground Express Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) 
Candysur S.A.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of 5,106 acres (2,066 ha), is situated in Palam, Delhi, 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of the New Delhi Railway Station and 16 km (9.9 mi) from New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi (1917–1984), the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport of India in terms of passenger traffic since 2009. It is also the busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic. In the financial year of 2020, the airport handled 6.73 crore passengers, the highest ever in the airport's history. As of 2022, it is the seventh busiest airport in the world, as per the latest rankings issued by the UK-based air consultancy firm, OAG. It is the second busiest airport in the world by seating capacity, having a seating capacity of over 36 lakh seats, and the busiest airport in Asia by passenger traffic, handling over 3.7 crore passengers in 2021.
Frankfurt Airport, German: Flughafen Frankfurt Main, also known as Rhein-Main-Flughafen is Germany's main international airport by passenger numbers and is located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres. It is operated by Fraport and serves as the main hub for Lufthansa, including Lufthansa CityLine and Lufthansa Cargo as well as Condor and AeroLogic. The airport covers an area of 2,300 hectares of land and features two passenger terminals with capacity for approximately 65 million passengers per year; four runways; and extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.
George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated in County Down, it is adjacent to the Belfast Harbour and is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Spirit AeroSystems aircraft manufacturing facility. The airport began commercial operations in 1983, and was known as "Belfast City Airport" until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best, the professional footballer from Belfast. The airport has a CAA public use aerodrome licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
Allama Iqbal International Airport is the third largest civilian airport by traffic in Pakistan, after Jinnah International Airport, Karachi and Islamabad International Airport. It serves Lahore, capital of Punjab and second-largest city of Pakistan. It also serves a large portion of the travellers from the other regions of Punjab province. Originally known as Lahore International Airport, it was renamed after the visionary poet and philosopher Dr. Allama Iqbal, one of the pioneers that led to the creation of Pakistan. The airport has three terminals: the Allama Iqbal terminal, the Hajj terminal and a cargo terminal. The airport is about 15 km from the centre of the city.
Kuwait International Airport is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, 15.5 kilometers (9.6 mi) south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of 37.7 square kilometres (14.6 sq mi). It serves as the primary hub for Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum.
Doha International Airport is an airport in Doha, Qatar. It was Qatar's commercial international airport until Hamad International Airport opened on 27 May 2014. While all scheduled commercial traffic ceased, the airport site and existing runway are still used by Qatar Emiri Air Force, Qatar Amiri Flight, Rizon Jet, Gulf Helicopters and Qatar Aeronautical College. It also acts as a state/diplomatic airport catering to both Qatar Amiri Flight and state-visit flights. The airport welcomed commercial flights again on 15 September 2022 for selected airlines to handle increased traffic for the 2022 FIFA World Cup that Qatar hosted in November.
SATS Ltd. (SATS), an acronym derived from Singapore Airport Terminal Services, is a Singaporean airport service company that handles the main ground handling and in-flight catering service provider at its country's Changi Airport. SATS controls about 80% of Changi Airport's ground handling and catering business.
Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the entire state. The airport was initially built during World War II and is named after Murtala Muhammed (1938–1976), the fourth military ruler of Nigeria.
Jardine Airport Services Limited (JASL) trading as Jardine Aviation Services and JASG, formed in 1988 as a joint venture of Jardine Matheson and Air China Group. However, Jardines' involvement in Hong Kong aviation began as early as 1946 as Jardine Airways.
Flamingo International Airport, also called Bonaire International Airport, is an international airport located near Kralendijk on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. It was once the hub for BonaireExel and CuraçaoExel before they were rebranded as Dutch Antilles Express, and served as a secondary hub for Dutch Antilles Express and Insel Air. The airport is the fourth largest in the Dutch Caribbean, after Queen Beatrix International Airport on Aruba, Princess Juliana International Airport on Sint Maarten and Curaçao International Airport on Curaçao and is now the largest airport in the Caribbean Netherlands, with F. D. Roosevelt Airport in Sint Eustatius being the second largest and Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba being the smallest.
Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, romanized: Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; Tamil: பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், romanized: Paṇṭāranāyakka Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike and locally as Katunayake Airport) (IATA: CMB, ICAO: VCBI) is the main international airport serving Sri Lanka. It is named after former Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) and is located in a suburb of Negombo, 32.5 kilometres (20+1⁄4 miles) north of the nation's longstanding capital and commercial center, Colombo. It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd and serves as the hub of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, Fitsair, a privately owned low-cost carrier,and domestic carrier Cinnamon Air. The other airport serving the city of Colombo is Ratmalana International Airport.
Faisalabad International Airport is an international airport and standby Pakistan Air Force military base situated on Jhang Road, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southwest of the city centre of Faisalabad, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The airport is home to two flying schools who use the airfield for regular training for new cadets and aviation enthusiasts.
Boryspil International Airport is an international airport in Boryspil, 29 km (18 mi) east of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving 65% of its passenger air traffic, including all its intercontinental flights and a majority of international flights. It is one of two passenger airports that serve Kyiv along with the smaller Zhuliany Airport. Boryspil International Airport was a member of Airports Council International. Since 24 February 2022, the airport does not operate any scheduled, charter or cargo flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is an international airport in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of the city centre. In 2019, over 9 million passengers passed through the airport, making it the second busiest airport in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur International Airport in terms of passenger movements & aircraft movements and the third busiest in terms of cargo handled.
Multan International Airport is an international airport located 4 km west of Multan, Pakistan. The airport is South Punjab's largest and busiest airport. Multan International Airport offers flights throughout Pakistan, as well as direct flights to Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Aviapartner, whose origins date back to 1949 under the name of Herfurth Air Services to become 'Belgavia' in the late 1960s, is a Belgian company that provides ground handling services at 37 airports in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands. Among the airports served are Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Düsseldorf, Rome, Nice, Toulouse and Málaga.
Ground support equipment (GSE) is the support equipment found at an airport, usually on the apron, the servicing area by the terminal. This equipment is used to service the aircraft between flights. As the name suggests, ground support equipment is there to support the operations of aircraft whilst on the ground. The role of this equipment generally involves ground power operations, aircraft mobility, and cargo/passenger loading operations.
The Emirates Group is a state-owned Dubai-based international aviation holding company headquartered in Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, near Dubai International Airport. The Emirates Group comprises dnata, an aviation services company providing ground handling services at 126 airports, and Emirates Airline, the largest airline in the Middle East. Emirates Airlines flies to over 150 destinations across 6 continents, operating a fleet of over 250 wide-bodied aircraft. The airline has 170 aircraft on order worth US$58 billion. The Emirates Group has a turnover of approximately US$28.3 billion and employs over 105,000 employees across all its business units and associated firms, making it one of the biggest employers in the Middle East. The company is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai directly under the Investment Corporation of Dubai and as part of Dubai Inc.
Hong Kong Airport Services Limited(HAS) was founded in 1995 and began operations in July 1998 with the opening of Hong Kong International Airport. It employs approximately 3,100 people and owns 3,000 ground-support equipment and vehicles. It is owned by Cathay Pacific, with offices located at Cathay City, Cathay House, Passenger Terminal Building and Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal.
Singapore Changi Airport is Singapore's primary international airport and a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region. It is one of the commercial airports in Singapore, the other being the Seletar Airport. Since the rankings for the World's Best Airport by Skytrax began in 1999, the airport was classified as the world's best on multiple occasions, including for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2021
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