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ASA Quarterly-2

Published on: 11 June 2024

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The Voice of Service Providers Worldwide

#2 ASA Quarterly

A WORD FROM OUR DIRECTOR GENERAL

Dear Members,

During the last three months, we have engaged with various renowned aviation associations and peers. Members of the Secretariat have been invited to attend and speak at an impressive number of events worldwide, where the voice of the ground handling sector was sought. We can literally see the "ASA footprint" expanding rapidly. We also had the pleasure of announcing the much-anticipated paper on Resilient Workforce at Airports and Ground Handlers, created in cooperation with our partners at ACI-World.

But most importantly, I would like to emphasize the significant changes in our leadership team and express my heartfelt gratitude to Atilla Korkmazoğlu for his remarkable dedication and leadership over the past four years. Under his guidance, ASA navigated through the global pandemic, nearly doubled its membership, and significantly expanded its reach. His tenure saw the launch of the ASA Leadership Forum and formal recognition by ICAO. Atilla's commitment and hard work have contributed like never before to advancing ASA's, and the sector's, cause.

Simultaneously, we are excited to welcome Hassan El Houry as our new Chairman, effective July 1, 2024. With his extensive global experience and visionary leadership, Hassan is set to drive ASA to new heights. We look forward to his guidance and are confident that his leadership will bring innovative strategies and continued growth to ASA.

Thank you Atilla for everything you have given, and will continue to give to this association, and welcome Hassan!

Warm regards,

Fabio Gamba
Director General, ASA.

ASA CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP AS OF July 1st

Atilla Korkmazoğlu
Outgoing Chairman, 2020-2024

Hassan El Houry
New ASA Chairman, starting July 1st, 2024

For more details, please refer to the full press release here.

IN A NUTSHELL - MILESTONES & ACHIEVEMENTS

ASA met with IATA high reps at the 37th IGHC in Reykjavik (6-8 May) to discuss alternatives for the adoption of ground standards, express disappointment regarding the failure to use IOSA to invite airlines to adopt IGOM, and explore ways of future cooperation, notably in the organization of future joint events.
The Secretariat has been working on a collective reply to the European Commission's Airport Regulatory Acquis Fitness Check (Dir. 96/67/EC on GH market access) which is posted online on 6 June (copy here). The second phase of the fitness check, starting in Q3 2024, will allow ASA and its members to engage in a dialogue with DG MOVE.
ASA joined a panel at the very well-attended Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh and expressed hopes and fears regarding the evolution - or lack of it - of the regulatory system around the world, with an invitation to have one day ICAO take the lead.
As a member of the International Aviation Forum (IAF), ASA met with its counterparts from ACI, TIACA, IATA, ACI, and CANSO under the patronage of Dr. Sciacchitano, ICAO President of the Council, on a campaign aimed at presenting aviation in attractive terms to Generation Alpha via social and other platforms.
ASA was invited for the first time to speak at the EU School of Regulation's 20th Air Forum in Florence, on 27 May, exploring the future of ground handling, competition, and market access with DG MOVE Air Transport Director, Mr. Filip Cornelis.
In coordination with IATA, ASA sent a letter to the FAA to request a correction of the flaws in the Noticed of Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM) on the (mis)handling of mobility equipment for Persons with Reduced Mobility.
The Secretariat initiated a Task Force with Board members to draft GH Minimal Operating Standards (GMOS). The inaugural meeting took place on May 30, and the outcome of the TF will be presented no later than at the 3rd ALF in Istanbul in October.
ASA released "Building a Resilient Aviation Workforce - Attraction and Retention Strategies for the Airport and Ground Handling Ecosystem Stakeholders", a position paper created in coordination xith ACI-World. The paper is a useful toolkit for airports and GSPs to address skill shortage in a sustainable way and is available here.
ASA has awarded an important contract to Steer (www.steergroup.com) to conduct its study on the macro-economics of ground handling worldwide. Steer will shortly send a survey to, and is conducting interviews with, any GSP interested in helping. Submissions are anonymized and de-identified, and NDAs can be signed if necessary. In case of interest, please contact our colleague Ariaen Zimmerman (details below)
ASA attended the 12th Aviation Stakeholders Convention organized by AFRAA in Addis Ababa on May 12-14. The event, themed "Beyond Connecting African Aviation," provided an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with African aviation industry experts, engage with the AFRAA Board Committee, and explore ways to build an African chapter.

AND MORE...

Your favorite post so far was the one featuring our DG, Fabio Gamba, presenting the joint document with ACI titled 'Building a Resilient Aviation Workforce' at the WAGA.
On LinkedIn, the number of followers continues to grow. We have now reached 4,090 followers, a 12% increase compared to previous quarter.
Welcome to our new Member and Partners
- ASA total number of Members: 62
  2 new since March: Fraport and RAM Handling
- ASA total number of Partners: 15
  2 new since March: Aero Space Jet Group and JOFRAUTO
The 3rd ALF awards submission form will shortly be released online. Please watch the space! We have added a new category for this year's edition: in addition to awards for services rendered to the GH community, a special award will be dedicated to GSE providers..

WAGA Event in Riyadh at the end of May

For more details on marketing and communication, contact Mercedes Dieguez at mercedes.dieguez@asaworld.aero.

FLOOR IS GIVEN TO OUR MEMBERS

Casper Olhoff Dons

Chief Commercial Officer, Aviator Airport Alliance.

Tell us about your Company and services:
Aviator Airport Alliance was founded in December 2010 and is a comprehensive provider of aviation services. We cover everything from passenger and baggage handling to de-icing, cargo, full freight handling, and lounges. As the largest independent ground handling company in the Nordic region, we operate at 15 airports from Copenhagen to Tromsö, employing almost 3,000 staff. Additionally, Aviator is part of Avia Solutions Group, the world's largest ACMI provider, with a fleet of over 200 aircraft. Together with BGS, we operate at 26 airports across 10 countries.
Why did you decide to join ASA?
We were approached by ASA and participated in the ASA Leadership Forum in 2023 to better understand the organization's work. Impressed by their initiatives, we decided to join ASA to actively participate in relevant working groups, gain insights into industry movements, and contribute to improving ground handling terms and conditions for airlines, airports, and ground handlers.
Which industry perspectives would you like to share with our readers?
The aviation industry is highly volatile, with constant changes and challenges. Key issues include transitioning to green GSE and its financing, shifting from service to sales and automation, the evolving role of ground handling agents, navigating increased regulations, and ensuring the industry remains attractive to retain skilled employees.