05 November 2023 (Geneva) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airport Services Association (ASA) are strengthening their collaboration to improve ground handling safety and efficiency. Together, the organizations will work to reinforce standardization, promote safety data sharing, and explore new approaches to enhance sector resilience.

“Global standards make aviation safer, and ASA and its members have been pivotal in helping develop the IATA ground handling standards we rely on today. By sharing data, we will be able to support this vital activity with data-driven insights and decisions. Maximizing the impact of data relies on broad contributions. We encourage ground handler participation to strengthen our collective insights,” said Nick Careen, Senior Vice-President Operations, Safety and Security at IATA.

“This partnership is a significant milestone that leverages the expertise of both IATA and ASA. By coordinating our approach, we will ensure more robust support for ground and cargo handling professionals worldwide. Our goal is to ensure that standards and best practices are in place that the entire industry can rely on,” said Fabio Gamba, ASA’s Director General.

IATA and ASA collaboration will include: 

• Safety Data: Through ASA’s Safety Incident Database and IATA’s Incident Data Exchange (a part of IATA’s Global Aviation Data Management—GADM—initiative), both organizations will share and analyze safety information to proactively address safety issues related to ground and cargo handling.
• Industry Standards: ASA will continue to work with IATA in the development of industry best practices and standards related to ground and cargo handling, taking advantage of relevant data. In particular, this work will focus on key documents such as the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and the IATA Airport Handling Manual (AHM), their adoption by the industry and reduction of variations.