26 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE MARCH 2016
PRODUCT PROFILE
W
e're the backbone to the operation,"
said Brooks, a 26-year Delta veteran.
"The airplane is the equipment
customers see and identify with,
but [ground equipment] is the grease, muscle and
guts behind the scenes that keep planes, bags and
people moving around the airport."
Delta has a feet of more than 103,000 pieces of
GSE at airports around the world including every-
thing from bag tugs and belt loaders to jetbridges,
air starts and entire airport baggage systems. It's
equipment large and small, complex and simple,
and while it plays a less visible role than Delta's
high-fying jets, this 'other feet' represents the
From his offce within earshot of pneumatic wrenches and the roar of
departing jets off runway 27R in Atlanta, Curt Brooks, Lead Ground
Maintenance Technician, along with his 265 colleagues, work around the clock
to keep Delta's feet of ground support equipment running in tip-top shape.
By Michael Thomas
Delta's Other Fleet:
The Science Behind Ground Equipment
Delta
Air
Lines