IATA to Focus on Building a Sustainable Future for Ground Operations at 34th Conference

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 34th IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC) will take place in Paris, France from 31 May to 2 June.

Under the theme – People, Purpose and Passion – Building a sustainable future for ground operations – the event will focus on improving implementation procedures and operations, forging sustainable new agreements and empowering the workforce to deliver lasting and environmentally sound solutions. –

“The recovery from COVID-19 brings its challenges—including the need to address staff retention and attraction, effective training and just culture principles,” said Monika Mejstrikova, IATA’s Director of Ground Operations.

According to Mejstrikova, the scaling-up of operations to meet demand is also an opportunity to improve efficiency, increase compliance with global standards, improve safety and environmental performance and accelerate efficiency gains with digitalization and automation.

The 34th IGHC brings together industry leaders from airlines, airports, ground service providers to manufacturers for networking and business development. The event provides a unique platform for the discussion and implementation of industry standards, policies and procedures.

“The discussions at this year’s IGHC will help all stakeholders in this critical part of the aviation value chain to align on the key components of its long-term sustainability,” Mejstrikova added.

Program highlights include:

– IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh’s fireside chat with Steve Allen, CEO dnata, and Richard Prince, CEO of Aviapartner.

– A technical session for members of the IATA Charter of Professional Auditors (CoPA) on the changes to the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO). The session will be open to all delegates.

Sessions exploring key topics such as: sustainable ground operations, root causes of the ground handling labor shortage, digital load control, Gen Z and the ground operations industry, artificial intelligence in ground handling, baggage tracking, global standards to improve safety, changes in 2023 SGHA (Standard Ground Handling Agreement).

The confirmed speaker’s list includes: Fabio Gamba, Director General, Airport Services Association; Thomas Romig, VP Safety, Security & Operations, Airports Council International; Marta Gomez Andreo, Manager Innovation & Operational Improvements, Qatar Aviation Services; Peter Beutler, Vice President Commercial Cluster Switzerland & France, Swissport; Christina Markou, Airport Services and Commercial Agreements Manager, Aegean Airlines; and Derick Zimmerman, Vice President, Safety & Training, Airport Terminal Services.

To facilitate networking, delegates will have access to the enhanced networking tool available on the event App and three BizZone areas available to hold meetings.

IGHC will offer a dedicated exhibition area for ground service providers and ground handling solutions providers including Worldwide Flight Services, Fraport AG, SKYPRO, Air Business GSE, and Inform Software amongst others.