President William Ruto primed to address 37th IATA global Ground Handling Conference in Nairobi

April 7, 2025 in Business, Companies, Science and Technology, Trade & Industry, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

IATA Ground Handling Conference 2025 to Focus on People, Processes and Performance

IATA predicts bill of damage to aircraft from incidents during Ground Handling  will reach USD 10 billion by 2035

 

Kenyan President William Ruto is scheduled to deliver a keynote address to the  37th edition of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA)  Ground Handling Conference that Nairobi will host from May 13 – 15, 2025.

Ruto will join other speakers including IATA’s Director General , Willie Walsh, and Kenya Airways’ CEO, Allan Kilavuka to address the conference which is coming to Africa for the first time.

The conference will focus on the need to modernize operations, invest in workforce development, and strengthen coordination and collaboration to improve performance. Delegates  will discuss ways of improving the safety, efficiency and resilience of airport ground operations services and passenger baggage handling through modernisation, digitalisation, skills development, innovation and using renewable energy sources.

“Ground handling is critical for the safety, efficiency and resilience of the entire aviation industry. The key word we will focus on at this year’s IGHC is “elevate”. We’ll be looking for ways to drive better performance in the ground handling sector. That means modernizing operations, investing in the workforce, and strengthening coordination and collaboration so that ground handling can support growth even more efficiently,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

The conference will feature plenary sessions, specialized tracks and workshops, addressing  different aspects of the business. A session on Ground Operations will explore the reliability of Ground Support Equipment (GSE), the transition to hydrogen-powered GSE, the benefits of harmonized training, and key safety focus areas for ground personnel.

For the first time, a dedicated session on Baggage Operations will cover real-time baggage tracking, the transition to modern messaging standards, and the shift to electronic bag tags.

Discussions will also explore airport–ground handler collaboration, provide insights into privatization, and examine upcoming ground handling regulations.

Spotlight on Africa

In recognition of the critical role that ground operations play across Africa’s growing aviation sector, President Ruto, will attend the conference and has extended invitations to regulators and aviation authorities from across the continent.

“Aviation opens a world of economic and social development opportunities, and aviation’s greatest potential is to make a real difference to the prosperity of people in Africa. Welcoming and supporting the IGHC in Kenya is an example of the importance that Kenya places on the aviation sector and the expectations that we have for it as a sector leading development in Kenya and across the continent,” said H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya.

Hosting IGHC 2025 in Nairobi underscores IATA’s commitment to supporting aviation growth in Africa, in line with its broader efforts under the Focus Africa initiative.

“As Africa’s aviation leader, Kenya Airways is honoured to pioneer this landmark event. Hosting IGHC aligns with our mission to drive innovation, foster partnerships, and showcase Africa’s readiness to shape the future of global air travel. Hosting IGHC 2025 in Kenya reaffirms our commitment to advancing the industry—both domestically and continentally—to unlock prosperity and connectivity,” said Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya.

Technology Driven Change 

IATA has in the past called for a transition to enhanced ground support equipment (Enhanced GSE) to improve safety and contain the cost of ground damage involving GSE. Enhanced GSE uses anti-collision and inching technologies to improve vehicle control and docking accuracy resulting in safer operations and minimal risk of injury to personnel and damage to aircraft.

Previous studies by IATA have estimated that the annual cost of aircraft damage attributable to ground operations, could reach $10 billion by 2035 unless proactive preventive measures are taken early. The forecast is based on direct costs including labour and material costs, temporary leasing costs, logistical expenses, and administrative costs, and indirect costs such as lost revenue, crew and passenger repositioning costs, and compensation costs for delayed services.

According to  the studies, aircraft ground damage that occurs when the aircraft is stationary is mostly caused by motorised GSE striking the fuselage of the aircraft. In terms of exposure to risk, wide-body aircraft are ten times more prone to ground damage  than their narrow-body counterparts, although regional jets, turboprop, and narrow-body types are 30pc more likely to suffer severe ground damage.

Major culprits on the ground are belt-loaders, cargo-loaders, passenger stairs, and passenger boarding bridges (PBB), which account for 40pc of total incidents. IATA estimates that transitioning three-quarters of the global fleet of belt loaders, cargo-loaders, passenger stairs, and PBB to Enhanced GSE, would reduce ground damage cost per turn rate by 42pc.

According to Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President of Operations, Safety, and Security, transitioning to Enhanced GSE with anti-collision technology  should be straightforward because  the technology exists  while the growing cost of ground damage makes a business case for early adoption.