Turnaround operations involve multiple teams coordinating with each other under tight deadlines. Any disruption can ripple through the day’s schedule, with costly consequences. And in the words of EASA, disruptions at one airport can impact the entire National Airspace System and have effects worldwide.
What’s more, the aviation industry is under pressure to meet greater demand than ever. 2024 saw record passenger volumes; according to IATA, international full-year traffic increased by 13.6% compared to 2023 and capacity grew by 12.8%.
Likewise, Boston Consulting Group predicts further increases in demand throughout 2025, influenced by the likelihood of Chinese international travel reaching pre-2019 levels.
How can ground handlers keep up – and maintain profitability?
This article explores how turnaround management software tackles today’s challenges.
The Challenges of Aircraft Turnaround Operations
Modern ground operations present numerous challenges – both shock events and chronic stressors – that make efficient turnaround harder to achieve than ever before. Here are some key issues affecting airlines and ground handlers today.
Rising Congestion
As mentioned, demand has grown and continues to do so. Ramp areas are busy, with flights scheduled back to back. This congestion leaves little room for error, yet worker shortages continue to complicate matters. In recent years, some major airports have even capped flights during peak periods due to resource constraints, such as London Gatwick during summer 2022, who cancelled 10% of their flights at one point.
As the old saying goes, “more haste – less speed”. Rushed procedures can cause ground incidents and mistakes of many other forms, ultimately slowing things down.
Coordination Across Multiple Teams
Each turnaround involves numerous people from different teams (ramp agents, fuel truck operators, caterers, cleaners, aircraft maintenance technicians, gate staff, etc.) all performing synchronized tasks.
Keeping everyone aligned on timing is difficult using traditional means like radios. Miscommunication can easily delay departures. And of course, each area comes with its own challenges, such as late baggage and its impact on weight and balance management.
Regulatory Compliance Pressures
Ground handling is now being scrutinized in new ways in the EU. In early 2024, the EASA proposed the first EU-wide ground handling regulations to improve the safety, cybersecurity and consistency of operations.
The regulation requires organizations to prove they have a management system in place that’s aligned with the complexity of their flight operations. They must establish a safety management system, standardized staff training, and a maintenance program for ground support equipment. They will have to prove they have a robust safety culture where issues are learnt from and used to improve.
The introduction of regulations like this gives operators yet another reason to optimize.
Cost Control
Extra minutes at the gate incur fuel burn from auxiliary power units and result in crews or connections going out of sync. Ground handling labor itself is a major expense; combined with high fuel prices, operators are under significant pressure to do more with less.
Cloud Based Aviation Management Software: The Key to Efficient Aircraft Turnaround
Using cloud hosted aviation software is key to solving the challenges discussed above. Here are some of its key benefits.
Real-Time Service Capture
Cloud based turnaround software logs each task performed in real-time so that staff don’t have to rely on retrospective paperwork or radio updates. All stakeholders have a live view of turnaround status from any device with an internet connection. If one activity is running late, managers are instantly aware and can intervene or adjust subsequent steps.
Intelligent Resource Planning
Thanks to its resource planning tools, turnaround software solutions ensure the right resources are in the right place at the right time, which is key to preventing disruptions. Staff and equipment are easily allocated to service each flight and in some cases, operational data will automate allocation based on peaks, bottlenecks and other indicators.
Having the right number of people on hand improves productivity, especially amid labor shortages. However, staff retention is key during such times and overworking and burnout risk higher staff turnover; it’s a fine line to walk. Thankfully, with more data comes more potential solutions that can work for both the company and its people.
Making Dynamic Adjustments
Today’s aviation management software enables dynamic adjustments when disruptions occur. In aviation operations, things rarely go exactly to plan; an inbound flight may arrive late or perhaps a storm brings ramp work to a halt. The software helps staff instantly reassess and reallocate in response to such events.
Managing Operations at Multiple Airports
Turnaround management software provides consistency to ground handling companies operating across multiple airports. They can standardize processes on the whole while supporting local requirements. In addition, staff deployment is streamlined as team members can more easily move between locations to cover shortages (since they’re already familiar with the software).
Business Intelligence in Aircraft Turnaround
While real-time monitoring provides a comprehensive view of current activity, BI looks at trends over weeks, months, and seasons to answer the question of how to improve, sometimes revealing opportunities that even the most experienced staff might miss.
BI tools within aircraft turnaround software typically provide dashboards and reporting capabilities on relevant KPIs. Companies can then drill down into the root causes and make informed decisions.
A Unified View of Operational Health
BI breaks down data silos so that different departments are working with the whole picture and not just their own piece of the puzzle. For example, you might correlate staffing levels with delays and from there, find an optimal staffing model; or, you might compare how different ground handling teams perform and replicate best practices.
Risk Management
BI can improve risk management capabilities by aggregating historical turnaround data for analysis. This lets companies identify specific risk factors that contribute to delays or safety incidents, so they may mitigate them ahead of time.
Sustainability
Let’s consider another type of efficiency – fuel efficiency. Data from turnaround software can support greener decisions, such as minimizing the use of aircraft APUs, optimizing equipment routes to cut fuel burn, or measuring the impact of using electric GSE.
Industry bodies like IATA are strongly advocating for “efficiency via automation and digitalization” as a means to reduce emissions on the ramp. Every avoided minute of having engines running and every prevented duplicate GSE run contributes to lower emissions.
Automated Billing and Contract Management
Some turnaround management software, such as FirstRamp, automates the billing process. Manual invoicing is slow, with greater potential for errors and disputes compared to when using automation.
Automated billing tools record each service as it’s completed and accounts for it under the correct contract and rate. Invoices can then be generated automatically.
This leads to significant productivity improvements, considering the volume of invoices companies have to process. It also translates to greater transparency as invoices are based on actual recorded services, leaving no room for subjective interpretation. Companies can be certain that all clauses and charges have been correctly applied. And with fewer disputes, customer relationships improve.
What Other Types of Aviation Software Improve Turnaround Efficiency?
Aside from software that manages turnaround on the whole, solutions are available to help with each facet of the process, such as baggage handling and load management.
Baggage Reconciliation Systems
A baggage handling system ensures luggage is efficiently routed and tracked in line with IATA Resolution 753. Our software features:
- Real-time tracking
- Transfer management
- Automated notifications on baggage status
- A mobile BRS application
- Passenger updates via a passenger status update app
Load Management Software
Cloud based load management software such as FirstLoad enables greater safety and accuracy through the following capabilities:
- Centralized load control to streamline ramp clearance
- Real-time data to manage weight and balance up until the last moment
- Detailed load reports and comprehensive audit trails
- Mobile accessibility for the ultimate efficiency
Each single platform can integrate with your wider software ecosystem.
In Closing
Aircraft turnaround software tackles the complex challenges of ground operations today. Thanks to the real-time visibility, optimized planning, insights and billing automation it provides, operators can run leaner, safer, and more responsive turnaround processes.
Zafire provides leading software to companies worldwide, keeping costs, admin and turnaround time to a minimum. To learn more or request a demo, contact us today.
