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ASA Monthly – February 2024

Published on: 29 February 2024

#3 / ASA Monthly – February 2024

So much is going on at ASA, we want to make sure you don’t miss a thing. From now on, you and anyone in 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

Completed the Operating Board with the appointment of its ninth Governor, Ingrid Braeuninger, President of Ground Operations at Airport Terminal Services as of 1st February 2024 for a mandate of two years.
Posted the first version of the ASA Internal Rule document, including a RACI matrix. It will be reviewed from time to time, and the General Assembly will be kept informed of the major changes. See document here.
Attended the International Aviation Forum (IAF) first Board of the year – composed of ACI-World, ASA, CANSO, IATA, ICAO and TIACA and attended by the ICAO President of the Council, Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano. On this occasion, he confirmed that ASA was now allowed to submit information and working papers to the ICAO Council.
Received invitation for the first time to attend ICAO EUR/NAT DGCA and Working Group meetings – the next one being the Toulouse 23 April meeting for the former, and the Dublin 25-26 April meeting for the latter. ASA will attend both.
Attended the first EC Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee meeting (SSDC) on Ground Handling of the year on 27 February. To get prepared, a quick survey was circulated to the ASA EU members. You may consult the aggregated results here.
Met with the UK Department for Transportation (DfT) representatives in Brussels to sound out the UK’s decision to emulate (or not) the EU’s Opinion on Ground Handling. No commitment from the DfT yet, but a decision expected in the course of the year.

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

2. Operations/Working Groups

Together with ACI, finalized the draft whitepaper for a vision on decent work, called “Building a resilient future workforce at airports: Attraction and retention strategies for airport ecosystem stakeholders”.
Launched an RFP with 7 major research companies for the commission of a study on the airport service provider industry.
Held meetings of the Cargo and of the Training Committees during which new ToRs were agreed upon, as well as the objectives for the committee and the path forward identified, including a call for new members of the committee.
Worked with the seven launch members involved in the Safety Incident Database (SID) to correct the data uploading procedures and upload of 2023 data so that we may report on 2023 occurrences as of March.
Together with the ASA Legal Taskforce, finalized a presentation for the legal sub working group of IATA’s GOS on significant changes we look for in IATA’s Standard Ground Handling Agreement, to be presented to the GOS group in Madrid in March.

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

3. Events/Communication

Finalised the migration of the ASA contacts database from the traditional Outlook- and Excel-based system to a brand-new CRM.
Drafted a survey to be distributed to the Members alongside the annual invoice to help collect essential industry KPIs.
Supported EVA International in the launch of a new trade body for GSE manufacturers called IGSEA.
Completed the initial structure and design of the ASA new website, which should be up and running by May 2024.
Initiated negotiations with ACI World to explore synergies for promoting our associations at industry events and to discuss exclusive membership pricing for ASA members to become ACI Business Partners.

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

4. Membership/Institutional

Welcomed the following Full Members:

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited - Hactl “Hactl was born (1976) to optimise the restricted cargo space at Hong Kong’s old Airport, and over the past decades, invested in innovation, experience and best practice. They are the largest independent handler at the Hong Kong International Airport – the world’s No. 1 air cargo hub. Haclt provides terminal handling, ramp handling, crew transport, documentation, charter flight support and value-added logistics services. ” (Source Hactl.com)

WISAG “WISAG Aviation Service Holding AG is one of the largest private full-service partners for airport services in Germany, with its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. The portfolio includes Airport Service, Ground Service, Passenger Service, Cargo Service and Airport Personal Service.”(Source: Aviationpros)

ASC In 2008, ASC was established to offer tailored ground handling services, designed to meet the unique needs of each airline and customer. Located at Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport in the UK, ASC expanded its portfolio by launching cargo handling services in 2010, with its ground handling services commencing shortly afterwards. Additionally, ASC has extended its ground handling services to Italy, further broadening its operational footprint beyond the UK.