junejuly2024 - 22

International
Swissport was an active participant in
the development of the EASA regulations
and participates in key IATA and industry
groups that develop industry standards.
frequently asked questions to further
reach out to organizations affected by
the regulations, to answer their questions,
to clarify the intent of the regulations
and the expectations, and to
address the stakeholders' concerns. "
Swissport was an active particiOversight
The
new ground handling regulation
will also embed requirements on
information security management
(Part-IS), for which a six-year transition
period is proposed by EASA,
to enable affected organizations to
first prepare for the specific ground
handling requirements and to benefit
from the lessons learned in the
other aviation domains that should
implement the new requirements at
an earlier date (2026), clarify
representatives at EASA.
" At the same time, we are proposing
a longer initial oversight period for
the ground handling requirements (of
five years, or 60 months), applicable
only for the first oversight, not repetitive,
with the purpose of enabling
competent authorities to oversee
all declared ground handling organizations
in their member state at
least once, " say EASA officials. " This
exceptional, initial longer period for
the oversight is considered a feasible
solution to accommodate a comprehensive
oversight for competent
authorities having to audit a large
number of ground handling organizations
in their state.
" It is, however, not expected that all
aerodromes where a ground handling
organization provides services are
overseen in this initial five-year nor
within one oversight cycle. "
A smooth transition is proposed
for organizations already providing
ground handling services at the
time when the ground handling
regulations become applicable, highlights
EASA representatives.
" They will have to agree with their
competent authority on a period in
which they may submit their declaration
after the regulation enters
into force; however, this should not
be longer than 12 months starting
from the date of application of the
ground handling regulations, " officials
at EASA say. " This interval will
enable competent authorities to plan
the oversight program more easily.
Authorities should also consider, for
oversight planning, the experience
and performance of the ground handling
organizations that have already
been providing services prior to the
date of application of the new ground
handling regulations. "
Readiness Preparation
EASA is preparing the document
(decision), including acceptable means
of compliance (AMC) and guidance
material (GM) associated with the
ground handling regulations.
" The AMCs and GMs will provide
support for the implementation of the
regulations. The AMCs and GMs will
be published soon after the commission
publishes the ground handling
regulations (within 1-2 months), "
say EASA officials. " We will also
prepare an implementation support
campaign, in collaboration with the
member states, to run during the
transition period. This will consist
in series of public events (workshops,
webinars) and publication of
22 || Ground Support Worldwide || June/July 2024
pant in the development of the EASA
regulations and participates in the
key IATA and industry groups that
develop industry standards. Looking
to transition to the new EASA regulations,
Swissport already has an SMS
in place and is operating in accordance
with the IATA Ground Operations
Manual (IGOM).
" As the world's largest aviation
ground services provider, we welcome
EASA's proposal for the implementation
of ground handling regulations
across Europe, " says Warwick Brady,
president and chief executive officer
(CEO) of Swissport International.
" The regulations will ensure a better
standard of operations and will help
reinforce the critical role that ground
handling plays in aviation safety.
" Together with EASA and ASA, we
must make sure the regulations provide
a level playing field for ground
handlers to deliver safe and sustainable
operations that support the
wider environmental, social and corporate
governance (ESG) agenda of
the aviation industry, " he continues.
" We now encourage other national
authorities to implement the same
requirements to deliver a truly global
set of standards. "
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DR. MARIO PIEROBON
Dr. Mario Pierobon
provides solutions in the
areas of documentation,
training and consulting to
organizations operating
in safety-sensitive industries. He has
conducted a doctoral research project
investigating aircraft ground handling
safety. He may be reached
at mariopierobon@alphaomega.dev.
junejuly2024

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