Geneva, Switzerland: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airport Services Association (ASA) are strengthening their partnership to drive improvements in safety and operational efficiency across ground handling services. This collaboration aims to enhance industry standards, promote the exchange of safety data, and develop innovative solutions that boost resilience within the ground handling sector.
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice-President of Operations, Safety and Security, highlighted the critical role of unified global standards in ensuring safer aviation. “ASA and its members have been instrumental in developing the IATA ground handling standards we depend on. By sharing data, we can support ground handling with data-driven insights, and we encourage broad participation from ground handlers to enrich our collective understanding.”
ASA Director General Fabio Gamba emphasized the impact of the partnership, noting, “This collaboration harnesses the expertise of both IATA and ASA, enabling us to provide more robust support to ground and cargo handling professionals worldwide. Together, we’re committed to establishing standards and best practices the entire industry can trust.”
Key areas of the partnership include:
- Safety Data Sharing: ASA’s Safety Incident Database and IATA’s Incident Data Exchange, part of IATA’s Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) initiative, will facilitate data sharing and analysis, helping both organizations address safety challenges in ground and cargo handling proactively.
- Standard Development: ASA will work closely with IATA to refine and implement industry standards, focusing on critical resources such as the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and Airport Handling Manual (AHM). This collaboration aims to drive greater adoption and consistency in ground handling practices across the industry.
Through this partnership, IATA and ASA aim to strengthen the safety, efficiency, and resilience of ground handling services worldwide.
