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ASA Monthly - April 2024

Published on: 30 April 2024

#5 / ASA Monthly – April 2024

So much is going on at ASA, we want to make sure you don’t miss a thing. You and anyone on your team can receive the “ASA Monthly.” Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like more information regarding any of these topics.

1. Lobbying/Political

Held an ASA Supervisory Board (SB) meeting on 3 April. The SB acknowledged progress in various areas (joint paper on resilient workforce with ACI, study report, ALF, etc.) and required that priority be given to the constitution of a GH minimum operating standards list that would constitute ASA’s minimum acceptable threshold. Work will shortly start and be presented at ALF in Istanbul.
Attended with some ASA Members the EUROCONTROL NDOP executive meeting event on 11 April during which GHSPs officially stated their interest in joining the European Aviation Network and exploring ways to share GH-specific KPIs to help feed the grid.
Met with EC DG MOVE on 18 April to talk about the forthcoming Airport Acquis fitness check (amongst which Dir. 96/67/EC) and announce our collaboration with Steer on the macro-economic study on GH. DG MOVE showed a great interest in having such the conclusions of the report to help steer reflection on such things as competition, licenses, standards, etc.
Attended an Industry Roundtable with FAA Deputy Administrator Katie Thomson on 22 April. Reminded her of the worrying situation in the U.S. and of our letter to the Administrator offering to meet at his best convenience in Washington, D.C.
Attended an ICAO DGAC EUR/NAT in Toulouse/France on 23 April to discuss CORSIA, SAF, NGAP and other such topics. This represented a good opportunity to show ICAO that it can count on ASA’s full support.

Contact for lobbying and political matters: fabio.gamba@asaworld.aero

2. Operations/Working Groups

Global Aviation and Airport Skills Taskforce (GAAST) Meeting: Attended the GAAST steering group meeting in Sao Paulo. This pivotal meeting brought together stakeholders from across the aviation industry, including regulators, aviation associations (ASA, ACI, TIACA, IATA), and other parties. We focused on critical workstreams aimed at:
- Retention and development
- Attraction and outreach
- Workplace environment and culture
- The value proposition of our industry
- Future development of our workforce
Ground Handling Industry Study: Initiated a comprehensive study on the state of the ground handling industry with Steer Consultancy, a renowned firm with extensive experience in aviation sector analyses, including for the European Union. This study is crucial as we aim to understand and advocate for the needs of our industry more effectively.
ICAO Meeting in Dublin: Participated in an ICAO meeting in Dublin, which concentrated on the gathering and management of safety information at airports, specifically from the perspective of ground handling activities. This involvement is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance safety standards across our operations.
Collaboration with ACI: Completed a joint document with the Airports Council International (ACI) focusing on fostering resilience within our workforce. This document is scheduled to be presented to our members in May, providing valuable insights and strategies for workforce empowerment.

Contact for operations and working groups matters: ariaen.zimmerman@asaworld.aero

3. Events/Communication

Industry KPIs Collection: Collected essential industry KPIs from about ¼ of ASA members. A reminder will be sent out this week to ensure we are ready to circulate a first draft of the consolidated results to the members in May. If not completed yet, please do fill in this excel and send back to mercedes.dieguez@asaworld.aero
Board Input on ASA Logo Proposals: Circulated several ideas to the Board and are awaiting the Board Members’ input by mid-May.
ALF Independent Awards’ Jury Confirmations: Received confirmations from aviation journalists Mark Pilling and Alwyn Brice to serve on the ALF independent Awards’ Jury. Seeking additional journalists' participation as aim is to count on a group of four.
ALF Venue Visit in Istanbul: Visited the ALF venue in Istanbul, Renaissance Hotel with EVA team. The hotel offers all the guarantees and facilities for a successful event.
Communication Plan Review with ACI: Reviewed the communication plan with ACI Comms team for the sharing of the Resilient Workforce paper. Release will be done before the upcoming ACI World Annual event, 23 May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Contact person for marketing and communication: mercedes.dieguez@asaworld.aero

4. Membership/Institutional

Welcomed the following Members:

Fraport AG One of the leading players in the global airport business, Fraport AG offers a wide range of operational and management solutions based on over 95 years of aviation expertise. “Connecting the world with tomorrow”. This applies to all of Fraport’s business activities and services at Germany’s largest aviation hub in Frankfurt and the Group’s airports worldwide.

Welcomed the following Partner:

JOFRAUTO Talleres Jofrauto is a Spanish company specializing in the construction and adaptation of high-performance GSEs for various types of aircraft.

Associations

AFRAA (Africa): ASA is slated to be officially introduced and presented as a collaboration partner during the 12th Stakeholder Convention. This event, featuring ASA's presence, will take place in Addis Ababa on 12-15 May, 2024

Contact person for membership and institutional Matters: thomas.konietzko@asaworld.aero