Ground Support Worldwide - 14

INDUSTRY EXPERT
COLUMN:

GROUND HANDLING

Key Aspects of ULD Operations
The ULD Code of Conduct sets a foundation for both airlines and service
providers to aim for when it comes to managing unit load device operations.

an. 21, 2020, marked 50 years since the first
commercial flight of the mighty Boeing 747,
from New York to London. No doubt this
newsworthy anniversary of an event which
has probably changed all our lives, ushering in as it
did an amazing era for civil aviation, will receive a
good degree of coverage.
Less newsworthy, but of equal significance,
is that this date marks the first use of unit load
devices (ULDs) onboard passenger aircraft. Prior
to this historic date ULDs were only found on narrow-body freighters.
Those 50 years of ULDs are an unescapable
part of the DNA of airline and air cargo operations,
facilitating as they do the daily movement of tens
of thousands of passenger bags and tons of cargo
through fast and labor-light aircraft loading/unloading operations, off-airport build-up and intermodal
transport and specialist cargo, such as race horses
and pharmaceuticals.
Yes, there is no question, the roughly 900,000
ULDs in service between the world's airlines contribute enormous value to efficient airline and air
cargo operations.
However, there is a flip-side to this glowing
description of ULDs, which is as the industry
has grown over 50 years ULDs often find themselves being stored, transported and used in a
less-than-appropriate manner, leading to some
unsatisfactory outcomes.

Outcome 1: The first and foremost purpose of
any ULD, once on the aircraft, is to provide a defined
level of restraint during normal and abnormal flight
conditions. This is, indeed, the first and foremost
requirement of any ULD - failure to perform this
function when needed can, and indeed has, led to
severe damage to aircraft, including crashing. Unbeknownst to probably most people who work with and
around ULDs, this box or pallet is in fact a part of
the aircraft's flight safety process and is subject to
the same level of regulatory oversight as any other
part of the aircraft.
Outcome 2: Since that first 747 flight 50 years
ago, airlines have to a great extent outsourced their
ground handling and cargo operations to third-party
organizations, which range from multi-location giants
to single-station/single-airline minnows. And here
is the kicker, while airlines operate within a highly
regulated safety environment, the ground handling
community is generally not subject to the same level
of direct safety regulation.
Outcome 3: It is no secret that airports are often
crowded places. Yes, there are some wonderful, shiny,
new airports with acres of space, but all too often
ground ops are carried out in very congested conditions - a situation made worse by the larger and larger
number of ULDs carried on today's aircraft. The 7778x, which is about to enter service, will carry almost
10 percent more ULDs than its earlier models, and
indeed, just the forward holds of A350 XWBs and

All photos courtesy of ULD CARE

By Bob Rogers

14 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

FEBRUARY 2020

Ground Support Worldwide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ground Support Worldwide