Safety Leadership Charter Guiding Principle 2: "Foster safety awareness with employees, the leadership team, and the board".
Safety Leadership Charter Guiding Principle 4: "Create the internal capacity to proactively manage safety and collectively achieve organizational safety goals".
Safety Leadership Charter Guiding Principle 7: "Create an environment where all employees feel responsibility for safety".
Background
The “Safe Ground Safe Flight” campaign was developed to address a critical reality in aviation: ground operations are the foundation of flight safety, yet they often receive less attention than inflight safety. Turkish Airlines recognized that:
- Safety culture needed strengthening within operational processes across ground handling, fueling, cargo, apron teams, and catering services
- Staff awareness of ground safety protocols required elevation beyond only rule compliance
- Operational details on the ground directly impact sky safety a disconnect that needed to be bridged organizationally
The campaign was born from the understanding that “A safe flight is not possible” without safe ground operations, and that every detail in ground operations ensures safety in the sky.
Brief description of the initiative
The campaign is a comprehensive, multi-phase safety culture initiative targeting all ground operations stakeholders.
Target Audience: Ground operations staff, ground station management, and airport business partners.
Key Messages:
- “Safety is the foundation of aviation”
- “Every detail in Ground Operation, ensures Safety in Sky”
- “Safety is not just rules, it is a culture”
Phases
- Awareness Trainings & Workshops
- Specialized trainings for ground ops staff
- “Ground Safety Ambassadors” mentoring program (experienced employees mentor new personnel)
- Ground Safety League scoring system with station targets
- Workshops with handling companies
- Visual & Digital Campaign
- Digital displays, banners, and posters featuring equipment operators (High Loader, Conveyor, Ambulift, Headset, GPU, ACU, ASU, Catering, Fuel Vehicle)
- Interactive boards and Kahoot applications for staff engagement
- #SafeGroundSafeFlight hashtag/sticker program
- Short video series on common mistakes and prevention
- Internal communication interviews and newsletters
- Apron vehicle branding with campaign slogans
- Awards & Incentive Programs
- Ground Safety Ambassador Award: Top 3 safest stations by Ground Safety League scores
- Best Implementing Staff: Rewards for highest safety report filings (HAZ, GSR reports)
- Competition Award Ceremony: Recognition at Safety Awareness Competition
- Certificate of Appreciation: Individual recognition for specific safety interventions (e.g., preventing aircraft damage)
Recognition Milestone
The initiative was honoured as one of Turkish Airlines’ “Best Ideas Contributing to Sustainability”, signed by the General Manager, validating its organizational impact.
Safe Ground Safe Flight” initiative - Ground Ambassadors Safety Summit video
What positive changes did this initiative help bring?
Measurable Outcomes; a framework that creates clear success criteria:
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Objective
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Measurement Approach
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Increasing safety awareness
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Staff engagement via Ground Safety League scores, training participation rates
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Compliance with safety rules
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Safety report volume (HAZ, GSR reports in Safety Incidents Database)
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Reduction of safety incidents
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Long-term tracking of ground operation incidents and errors
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Next Steps/Phases
The document emphasizes maintaining the system:
“Our greatest goal is to carry our Turkish Airlines safety culture even further by maintaining the momentum and awareness we have gained through the ‘Safe Ground Safe Flight’ campaign at every moment of our operations.”
- Continued attention and shared responsibility across all ground operations
- Ongoing Ground Safety Ambassador Program expansion
- Persistent safety surveillance and supervision promotion
Main challenges and lessons-learned
Challenges and adopted approaches
- Safety as “compliance” vs. “culture”: The explicit message “Safety is not just rules, it is a culture” suggests prior over-reliance on rule-based approaches
- Engaging diverse ground partners: Inclusion of “Airport Business Partners” and handling companies indicates third-party coordination was recognized as complex
- Behavioral change at scale: The mentoring Ground Safety Ambassador model (Ground Safety League) acknowledge that top-down mandates alone are insufficient
Advice for Organizations Starting Similar Journeys
Based on the Turkish Airlines model:
- Make safety visible everywhere: Brand vehicles, equipment, and physical spaces to create constant environmental reminders
- Empower peer-to-peer influence: The “Ground Safety Ambassador” program leverages experienced staff as credible messengers, not just management directives
- Celebrate specific behaviors, not just outcomes: The Certificate of Appreciation for Ground Operation Staff (preventing dolly-aircraft collision) demonstrates granular recognition of vigilance.
- Use competition constructively: The Ground Safety League creates healthy station-level accountability without punitive framing.
- Integrate digital and physical touchpoints: From Kahoot apps to apron vehicle wraps, meet staff where they are
- Frame safety as sustainability: The award category (“Contributing to Sustainability”) positions safety within broader organizational values, elevating its strategic importance.
