MARCH 2016 AviationPros.com 19
INTERNATIONAL
operators to own ground support equipment
(e.g. passenger buses) and rent them out to
ground handling companies to improve asset
utilisation and traffc patterns on the apron,
and thus the likelihood of damage. Can this
be a promising a solution for South America?
Stewart believes that there are issues
to consider about who is responsible for
maintenance and possible damage to the
equipment. "Where will liability lie and
how will this be adjudicated? However if
there is a strong business case that evaluates
operational effciency and a cost advantage
then this could be considered as a potential
option," he says.
Looking ahead
International standards are already in place
to support safety and operational effciency
on airport aprons and taxiways, according to
Stewart, and these are being complied as part
of the major infrastructural (re)developments
in South America. "The most effective way
to ensure that these conditions are being
met is to hire professional consultants with
the appropriate credentials and experience
during the design phase of a project and then
be careful when weighing potential 'value
engineering' savings. Safety should never
be compromised," Stewart says.
The same remark is shared by Lortat-Ja-
cob: "Airport design should be driven by
best industry practices taking into account
local particularities and room for future
expansion. Therefore, the involvement of
informed designers and experienced opera-
tors is essential in order to ensure the result
shall be resilient to future practices," he says.
Andrew Price, head of airport operations
at IATA, believes that a focus on the safety
culture should be among the additional con-
siderations to complement airport design to
make the system more resilient to aircraft
damage on the apron. "Having a no blame
culture for reporting accidental damage is
important as the safety of the aircraft has
to take priority over the allocation of fault.
The second thing is keeping tarmacs clear
of debris to reduce FOD. Having a policy
of 'pick it up and bin it' helps reduce this.
Both items are simple, effective and cheap,"
Price says.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mario Pierobon is a safety management consultant and content producer. He currently
is working on a research project investigating aircraft ground handling safety. You may
reach him at marioprbn@gmail.com.