Aircraft damage is an avoidable cost, and one Menzies tries to keep as low as possible. One of the main causes of accidental aircraft damage is poorly-positioned platform loader equipment. So, when the GSE team came up with a way of guiding loaders into position…it certainly was an innovation worth submitting to the GHI Pride of Ground Handling Awards.

On some aircraft, the margin of error is very small, and on a ramp crowded with dollies, catering vehicles and baggage it can be very difficult to manoeuvre a platform loader! Paul Drever, General Manager of GSE Engineering and Standards, got together with colleagues from the Scandinavian safety team and set about solving the problem and reducing the accident rate.

Their solution, guide poles suspended from the aircraft’s internal container loading system (ULD), helps the driver to align the loader safely and accurately alongside the plane, before the platform is raised.

Although the original idea was formed way back in 2010, it has been gradually introduced at more and more Menzies stations since then – with aircraft accident rates falling 63% between 2017 and 2019. The practice of using guide poles is supported by Standard Operating Procedures as part of the Menzies Ground Operating Manual and aligns with IATA expectations of continuous improvement in GSE management.

Find out more about Menzies' stars...