IATA calls for stricter implementation of standards and faster digitalization of ground handling
The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has called on the aviation industry to apply global operational standards more strongly, to modernize ground support equipment faster, and to expand the digitalization of processes that take place on aprons, in baggage handling, during cargo loading, and while aircraft are being prepared for their next flight. According to information published on the occasion of the 38th IATA Ground Handling Conference, held on May 19, 2026, in Cairo, the aim is to increase the safety, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of ground handling at a time when global air traffic continues to expand and airport operations are becoming increasingly complex.
IATA delivered the message at the IGHC 2026 conference, hosted by EgyptAir, which brought together representatives of airlines, airports, ground handling service providers, equipment manufacturers, and technology suppliers. According to IATA's announcement for this year's edition of the conference, the central theme of the gathering was the adaptation of ground operations in the age of artificial intelligence. The organization states that discussions are focused particularly on how human expertise, artificial intelligence, automation, and standardized data can help create safer and more reliable operations.
Ground handling remains a critical point of air traffic
Ground handling is often an invisible part of travel, but its problems spread very quickly to the entire air traffic network. A delay in unloading baggage, a loading error, aircraft damage on the apron, or a disruption in fuel supply can affect multiple flights, crews, passengers, and airports beyond the location where the problem originated. For this reason, IATA emphasizes in its new messages that ground operations should not be viewed as an auxiliary segment, but as an important part of the overall safety and reliability of air transport.
Monika Mejstrikova, IATA's Director of Ground Operations, stated, according to a Passenger Terminal Today report, that the consequences of errors in ground handling can spread through the entire network even though the disruption itself may last only a few minutes. She emphasized that more consistent implementation of standards, smarter equipment, and digitalization are the fundamental prerequisites for safer, more efficient, more sustainable, and more resilient operations. Such a message builds on IATA's earlier priorities, in which safety, global standards, and sustainability are cited as key areas for the development of ground handling.
According to IATA's official data on the gathering itself, IGHC 2026 is being held from May 19 to 21, 2026, in Cairo and is conceived as a place where the industry discusses standards, policies, and operational procedures. IATA states that the conference brings together leading participants from airlines, airports, ground service providers, and manufacturers, which is important because a large part of the risk in ground handling lies precisely at the boundary of responsibility among several different organizations.
Standards must be applied equally, not merely written
One of IATA's main messages concerns the need for global standards to be treated not only as documents, but as real practice at airports. In ground handling, procedures must be consistent because different carriers, contracted service providers, and local airports work in the same space every day, often with different systems, equipment, and contractual obligations. If procedures differ from station to station, the risk of misunderstandings, incorrect loading, incomplete communication, and uneven responses to operational disruptions increases.
According to the Passenger Terminal Today report, IATA stated that in 2025, across nearly 40 million flights, no fatalities in ground handling and one serious injury were recorded. This figure shows that the safety level in the sector can be improved, but IATA simultaneously warns that further traffic growth requires discipline in the daily application of rules. The organization cites the IATA Ground Operations Manual, or IGOM, and the Airport Handling Manual, or AHM, as key reference documents for airlines and ground service providers.
These manuals serve as a framework for harmonizing procedures, from the movement of vehicles around aircraft to loading, communication, baggage handling, and safety checks. IATA also calls on the industry to reduce unnecessary local variations and to make stronger use of audit programs, including the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations, known as ISAGO. Such audits are important because they allow procedures to be checked not only formally, but through the concrete organization of work at an individual station.
Aircraft damage on the ground has both a safety and a financial cost
The second priority concerns the modernization of ground support equipment, known by the acronym GSE. This is a broad group of vehicles, machines, and devices used to service aircraft on the ground, including baggage conveyor belts, cargo loaders, passenger stairs, towing vehicles, power units, fuel trucks, de-icing equipment, and other equipment without which an aircraft cannot be safely and efficiently prepared for flight. In its materials, IATA highlights that the design and functionality of such equipment directly affect operational efficiency, safety, and the working conditions of ground staff.
According to IATA data on ground support equipment, GSE operations may account for up to 40 percent of total global aircraft damage on the ground. Since 2017, the organization has therefore recommended that equipment be fitted with anti-collision systems, or that the industry transition to so-called enhanced GSE. Such equipment may include sensors, warning systems, speed limitations, or other technologies that help operators avoid contact with aircraft or other infrastructure.
According to the report from the Cairo conference, IATA stated that more than 29,000 aircraft damage events on the ground were reported in 2025. Mejstrikova warned that costs could multiply if the rate of such events is not reduced while traffic grows. In its official materials, IATA estimates that the annual cost of ground damage could rise to nearly 10 billion US dollars by 2035 if preventive measures are not taken.
Modern GSE means less risk, but also cleaner operations
IATA's Enhanced GSE Recognition Program was established to accelerate the transition to equipment with anti-collision technology. According to the official description of the program, the aim is to validate the equipment fleets of ground service providers at an individual station and confirm that they meet the criteria for reducing the risk of aircraft damage. IATA states that participation in the program brings better safety performance, risk reduction, confirmation of compliance with industry standards, and public recognition for stations that meet the criteria.
In its latest data, the organization states that hundreds of applications have been received since the launch of the program, and according to the Passenger Terminal Today report, IATA has recorded more than 450 applications, validated 187 stations, and recognized 75 stations for reducing operational risk. The official program page also states that since 2025 the program has been part of ISAGO audits for stations where ramps are included in the inspection. This moves equipment modernization out of the realm of a voluntary initiative and increasingly links it to a broader operational audit system.
GSE modernization relates not only to safety, but also to environmental effects. IATA states that electric ground support equipment can reduce emissions during aircraft turnaround, reduce noise, and lower maintenance costs, although the transition from fossil-fuel equipment to electric fleets requires planning for infrastructure, charging, and operational schedules. According to the conference report, IATA estimates that electric GSE can reduce emissions during aircraft turnaround by 35 to 52 percent, depending on the composition of the equipment and the source of electricity.
Digitalization is necessary for faster and more accurate decisions
The third priority is the digitalization of ground handling. IATA warns that fragmented data, manual entry, delayed information, and disconnected systems still limit safety and efficiency. In practice, this means that data on baggage, aircraft loading, equipment status, staff, weather conditions, de-icing, or schedule changes may be delayed or may be located in systems that do not exchange information with one another quickly enough. In operations where decisions are made in minutes, such delays increase the likelihood of error.
According to the Passenger Terminal Today report, Mejstrikova warned that too many processes still depend on disconnected systems, manual entries, and information that arrives too late. IATA singled out baggage, aircraft loading, and de-icing and anti-icing processes as areas where digitalization can bring practical benefits. In all three areas, data accuracy is crucial for safety, because incorrect data about baggage, cargo, or aircraft condition can affect scheduling, weight and balance, safety checks, and the decision to take off.
Digitalization does not refer only to the introduction of new applications, but to the creation of common data standards. In its official materials for IGHC 2026, IATA states that the program includes digitalization as one of the strategic themes, together with capacity, workforce transformation, human factors, and preparations for new regulatory requirements. In the broader aviation sector, IATA already promotes interoperability and data standards, including air cargo initiatives such as ONE Record, which is designed as a way of exchanging data among participants in the supply chain.
Artificial intelligence and automation do not replace human responsibility
This year's gathering in Cairo is being held under the theme of adapting ground operations in the age of artificial intelligence. According to IATA's announcement, the conference considers practical applications of artificial intelligence and automation to improve safety, efficiency, and consistency. But the same materials also emphasize the role of human factors, including fatigue, workload, and decision-making. This sends the message that technology can assist operators, but cannot remove the need for training, clear procedures, and responsible management.
Autonomous ground support equipment represents one of the directions of development. IATA states that autonomous GSE uses advanced technology and sensors to perform tasks without constant human intervention and that standardization helps define operational criteria for such equipment. The organization emphasizes that it has developed recommended practices for testing and introducing autonomous GSE, but also that it continues to work on use cases and end-to-end automation processes. This points to a gradual, controlled approach, not to an abrupt replacement of existing operations.
At airports, such development may raise questions of investment, employee training, safety zones, responsibility in the event of an incident, and compatibility among different systems. That is why IATA's message about standards carries particular weight: digital and automated systems can bring benefits only if they are introduced in a way that is harmonized among airlines, service providers, equipment manufacturers, and airports. Without common rules, new technology can create additional complexity instead of reducing it.
Traffic growth increases pressure on airport operations
IATA's IGHC announcement warns that ground operations are becoming increasingly complex as traffic grows. A larger number of flights means denser schedules, shorter turnaround times, greater pressure on aprons, and a greater need for coordination among multiple teams. If the capacities of staff, equipment, and data do not develop as quickly as traffic, airports and carriers face the risk of delays, reduced resilience, and higher costs.
According to IATA, the conference program also includes the topics of working in high-risk environments, fuel cost volatility, operational resilience, partnerships between airlines and ground service providers, and data improvements in baggage operations. The discussions also include risks related to mobility aids and undeclared lithium batteries, showing that ground handling is not only a matter of speed, but also of detailed control of items, cargo, and equipment entering the aviation system.
For airports and service providers, the message is clear: investment in modern equipment and digital systems must be accompanied by investment in people and standardized procedures. Anti-collision systems, electric vehicles, automated data transfer, and advanced analytics can reduce risk, but their value depends on high-quality implementation. IATA therefore calls for an industry-wide approach in which safety, efficiency, and sustainability are not viewed separately, but as connected elements of the same operation.
The regulatory and contractual framework will further affect the sector
In the IGHC program, IATA also mentions preparations for the implementation of new European Union regulation on ground handling in 2028 and the development of the next generation of the Standard Ground Handling Agreement, known as SGHA. Although the details of these processes differ by market, they share the need to define responsibilities, service levels, data exchange, and safety expectations between airlines and contractual partners more precisely. For an industry that works under time pressure every day, a clearer contractual and regulatory framework can reduce room for misunderstandings.
In this context, IATA's call for stronger implementation of standards, modern equipment, and digitalization has a broader meaning than a single conference message. It reflects the direction in which ground handling must develop in order to keep pace with traffic growth, increasingly stringent safety requirements, pressure to reduce emissions, and passengers' expectations that baggage, boarding, supply, and aircraft preparation function without visible interruptions. Ground operations remain an area in which the reliability of air traffic is confirmed every day, and IATA is now asking that this confirmation be based on standards, technology, and data that are as strong as the rest of the aviation system.
Sources:
- Passenger Terminal Today – report on IATA's call for stronger implementation of standards, modernization of GSE, and digitalization of ground handling on May 19, 2026. (link)
- International Air Transport Association – official announcement of the IGHC 2026 conference in Cairo and the theme of adapting ground operations in the age of artificial intelligence (link)
- International Air Transport Association – official page of the IATA Ground Handling Conference 2026 with information on the location, date, and program of the gathering (link)
- International Air Transport Association – information on ground support equipment, autonomous GSE, electric GSE, and the reduction of aircraft damage on the ground (link)
- International Air Transport Association – description of the Enhanced GSE Recognition Program, validation criteria, and estimates of the costs of aircraft damage on the ground (link)