25th IGHC Ground Handling Conference (2012)

Outcome of 25th IATA Ground Handling Conference

The 25th anniversary of the IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC) included a record number of aviation professionals committing to a collaborative focus on ground operations for the aviation industry. The IGHC gathered nearly 800 delegates in Prague, Czech Republic for three days of debate on ground operations issues and more specifically, the future of ground operations.

There were many interesting topics presented during the plenary sessions including, amongst others, discussion on the Ground Damage Database, cost of the services, as well as regulatory roles in ground operations. Workshops were held during the afternoons with IATA’s training for aviation professional and Tomorrow's ISAGO having the most participants.

Click here to obtain the presentations and video from the 25th IGHC conference.  

During the IGHC, IATA has highlighted their focus on three main priorities:

1 - Safety and efficiency
The ultimate goal for ground operations is the reduction of ground damages. IATA’s plans include linking together the Ground Damage Database (GDDB), Risk Management (RM), IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM). The GDDB will facilitate data driven decisions to effectively improve performance and enhance the ability to gather and analyze global data with industry partners. The improvement of risk management and a risk profile will reduce ground operations losses.

2- Collaboration
IATA wants to engage with airlines, ground service providers (GSPs), airports and regulators to jointly take responsibility for improving ground operations and handling. Development of ISAGO and IGOM are evidence of what can be achieved if all ground operations stakeholders work together, but the momentum must be intensified to be able to implement these programs and other initiatives globally.

3 - Commitment
Some Airlines and GSPs have committed to ISAGO and IGOM, initiatives which ECAC has endorsed. This “core” needs to expand to gain global commitment and IATA is looking to Regulators to encourage their industry members to come on board.

IATA also introduced a new ground operation governance structure,  in which Ground Handling Council (GHC) will now report to the IATA Operations Committee. GHC will focus on addressing the biggest industry concerns.

Save the date!

We were happy to announce that IGHC 2013 will be held in Vancouver from May 5 - May 8.