april2023 - 27

Pluhackova says. " Nevertheless, as an
airline association, we develop standards,
rules and guidelines for our members.
" The IATA resolutions developed
under the traffic conferences are the
highest level of our standards and are
binding to our members. "
The recommended practices (RP)
are the second level, and members can
choose to adopt them on voluntary basis.
The AHM, IGOM and Baggage Reference
Manual (BRM) are recommended practices
developed under the Passenger Service
Conference (PSC RP).
" Our members also contractually
require that their providers follow
the ground operations standards via
Standard Ground Handling Agreement
(SGHA), " she adds.
In addition, IATA produces various
guidance, positions papers and analytical
reports for industry knowledge.
The AHM and IGOM are based on
Standards for ground operations
are published in the IATA Airport
Handling Manual (AHM), IATA
Ground Operations Manual
(IGOM), Baggage Reference
Manual (BRM), Ground Ops XML
message Toolkit as well as other
baggage-related IATA Resolutions
and Recommend Practices.
that we speak the same language globally
and we have the same baseline globally. "
Pluhackova says the use of common
industry standardization will promote
effective utilization of similar skillsets
among different carriers; ease the return
to service; minimize safety and security
events; and provide effective and cheaper
oversight of safe operations.
" Additionally, IATA standards do
not only ensure that we have the same
standards for the operations, training
and contracts, equipment, etc. but we
have also the same standards used for
the auditing, " she says.
The IATA Safety Audit for Ground
Operations (ISAGO) is designed to verify
the implementation of AHM and IGOM
within companies' operations.
Adopting IATA Standards
" IATA is not a regulator therefore our
standards are not mandatory per say, "
industry knowledge and current best
industry practices.
Pluhackova describes their implementation
as organic and says they are
adopted for their value. Based on an
annual IATA publications survey, 90
percent of AHM/IGOM users are satisfied
with the content and see the manuals as
a primary source of information, which
they use to create company procedures.
" It helps them to improve, standardize
and validate their policies and procedures
as well as ensure that the airlines
and their providers speak the same language, "
she says.
Survey respondents also found the
publications to be a valuable source for
training and ISAGO accreditation.
" We are also advocating with regulators
to recognize AHM [and] IGOM and
consider them as an acceptable means of
compliance in the jurisdiction where the
regulation for ground ops exists such as
EASA, " she says.
Working Groups
IATA standards are developed under the
Passenger Standard Conference (PSC) and
Travel Standard Board (TSB), including
smaller groups like the Ground Ops Automation
and Digitalization (GAD), Ground
Ops Standards (GOS), Baggage Working
Group (BWG) and Baggage Steering
Group (BSG).
" We have very well-defined governance
structure for ground operations
within IATA, " Pluhackova says.
Working groups have a delegated
responsibility to approve AHM and IGOM
changes in their area of expertise.
There are also other groups and subject
matter experts contributing to the
development of the AHM, such as the
ULD Board, Security Working Group and
Cargo Handling Oversight Committee.
" Ground ops groups consist of a pool
of experts in various subject matters, "
Pluhackova says. " Groups are organized
into sub-groups based on the operational
area and standards, which need to be
developed. The expertise required is
driven by the IATA ground operations
priorities and objectives for the group
tenure. We hold monthly or more frequent
calls, at least one face-to-face
meeting for every sub-group. The group
participants are developing standards
directly by themselves, or IATA external
or internal experts prepare drafts, which
the group reviews and amends to the
final version. "
The GOS plays a key role in the AHM/
IGOM development as they oversee four
AHM chapters and the majority of the
IGOM. For 2023 there are four sub-groups
within the GOS:
* Organization and Safety
* Training
* Operations
* Contracts
" This groups include airlines representatives,
ground handling providers
and industry partners, " Pluhackova says.
" Each participant has a deep knowledge
and experiences in the ground ops but
most importantly, incredible enthusiasm
and passion for our industry. I am truly
honored to be the secretary of this group
and together with my standard team, we
will never stop to be amazed by amount
of work, ideas and improvements our
members bring to the table. It keeps
us motivated.
" Some of them are participating in
our groups for years, and we have developed
friendship over those years, " she
continues. " Our members provide a lot of
April 2023 || AviationPros.com || 27
IATA
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