Airside and ground handling operations are among the most complex and risk-exposed activities at an airport. At the same time, the sector faces persistent structural challenges: high staff turnover, rising training costs, shortages of experienced personnel, and limited supervisory capacity. Despite this, training for these roles is still frequently based on classroom instruction, static procedures, and limited live practice. The consequences are visible across the industry.
Globally, ramp accidents and incidents occur approximately 27,000 times each year, resulting in more than 240,000 injuries annually. The estimated annual cost of ground damage is USD 4.85 billion and is projected to reach USD 9.7 billion by 2038, mainly due to projected traffic growth. At the same time significant proportion of ramp incidents is attributed to human error, highlighting the critical role of how people are prepared for daily operations.
Traditional airside training assumes that knowing procedures leads to correct performance. In practice, operators work in dynamic environments shaped by time pressure, weather, traffic density, and coordination across teams. Onboarding for airside drivers and ground handling staff typically lasts a few months, yet exposure to abnormal or high-risk situations remains limited. Many operators face their first real emergency during live operations, under stress and fatigue.
This gap is the result of a mismatch between training methods and real work demands. Classroom-based instruction, PowerPoint scenarios, and one-time certification do not provide exhaustive preparation for crisis-driven and high-pressure operational scenarios.
Adult learning science explains why this mismatch persists. Andragogy shows that adults learn best when training is problem-oriented, grounded in experience, and allows autonomy. David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle further clarifies the process: effective learning requires a continuous loop of concrete experience, reflection, conceptual understanding, and active application. In many existing training models, this cycle is incomplete.
Standardized training requirements play a critical role in ensuring baseline safety and interoperability across the global aviation system. However, compliance alone does not guarantee operational competence. As highlighted in IATA’s Mapping the Future: Emerging Trends in Ground Operations, ongoing training and continuous recognition of competence are becoming a necessity rather than an option. Training must ultimately be designed to make people capable of performing their tasks under real conditions, with a strong emphasis on practical decision-making and scenario-based practice.
Today, the industry already has the technology based on learning science to eliminate training inefficiencies. Short learning modules built around real problems are combined with context-based practice in virtual environments. Scenarios such as low visibility, crisis management, or winter operations, which cannot always be reliably trained on the apron, can be practiced repeatedly in high-fidelity simulation systems. At the same time, this way of training supports sustainability by removing the environmental footprint of live training.
Pilot implementations of simulator-based ground operations training have been conducted at several airports to date, with additional sites currently in preparation. These pilots involved partners from airports, ground handling organizations, airlines, and GSE manufacturers.
Feedback from these initial deployments consistently highlighted several areas of value. Participants emphasized the ability to learn through mistakes without real-world consequences, which reduced stress and increased confidence before operating on the apron. The pilots also demonstrated the benefit of training under difficult weather and crisis conditions that cannot be planned during live operations, including equipment failures and loss of radio communication. Importantly, the training proved valuable for both new and experienced staff, supporting onboarding and refresher training.
With human error responsible for the majority of ramp incidents and global ground damage costs counted in billions, improving how operators are trained is one of the most direct levers available to the industry. Moving from knowledge-based instruction to experience-based training represents a practical response to the safety, efficiency, and resilience challenges facing today’s airports.
Author: Robert Boroch, PhD
President, General Manager
ETC-PZL Aerospace Industries
*Find out more about ETC-PZL Aerospace Industries's engagement in the IATA's Strategic Partnerships Program on the partners directory.
