march2022 - 24

International
respective GSE, " he says. " This change
is already on its way, mainly with the
increased adoption of electric drive, but
electric operational towing or taxiing
solutions should be developed for all
common aircraft. Equally, it will be
important, of course, to ensure support
for charging electrically powered equipment,
including GSE. "
Investment in infrastructure is
therefore required, according to Rhodes.
" This would not only provide environmental
benefits, but provide focus on
efficiency, throughput of GSE and result
in reduced costs further down the line.
Nonetheless, care needs to be taken
to ensure that the increased capital
expenditures in decarbonizing the GSHP
estate does not price airlines out of serving
specific or niche markets, " he says.
To reduce emissions and thus the
company's carbon footprint the companies
of Baltic Ground Services (BGS)
Group have been upgrading their
ground support equipment, introducing
more fully electric models to
their fleets.
" We strive to have as little impact
and emissions as possible, therefore
we want to introduce more electric
machinery. In 2020, we have added to
our fleet the first in the Baltics electrical
bus designed specifically for the airport.
We aim to further develop our inventory
of electric vehicles and ground handling
equipment to replace traditional
vehicles in all GH stations we operate
now and will work in the future, " says
Monika Kliokiene, head of compliance
at BGS Group.
" Furthermore, our ground handling
companies that provide logistics services
also provide eco-driving training
for drivers. Through this training, we
contribute to a healthier environment
by reducing fuel consumption by
approximately 5 percent in daily driving.
Another advantage is the improvement
of driver safety and the avoidance
of the risk of errors. In order to be more
efficient, we optimize transportation
routes as much as possible, avoiding
unnecessary kilometers. This enables
us to reduce unwanted costs, noise pollution
and our carbon footprint. "
24 || Ground Support Worldwide || March 2022
Drivers of Change
According to Kliokiene, the drivers of
change in the ground handling industry
with regard to CO2
emission reduction
have to do with the fact that introducing
smarter and more eco-friendly changes
to operations enables the industry
to reduce the current impact on the
environment caused directly by ground
handling business.
" We are doing our best to reduce the
impact we have on our environment. In
addition, we can see clear benefits to our
business as it saves time and costs over
the long-term, " she says.
Every stakeholder of the aviation
supply chain is expected to decarbonize,
observes Rhodes.
" It has to be a collaborative effort
with GHSPs included. The ground
handling sector is well aware of the
European Green Deal and the European
Union's goal of carbon neutrality; and
is already taking action to contribute to
the aviation industry's overall efforts, "
he says. " Although GHSPs have already
begun making changes on their own
initiative, it is likely that airlines and
airports will begin to include sustainable
requirements in tenders for handling
services and ground service equipment
as well. This way all stakeholders in the
value chain are stimulated to take their
responsibility when it comes to reducing
CO2
emissions. After all, stimulating
sustainable behavior now can contribute
to a changed mindset urgently required
in the years to come. "
In addition to a general social
responsibility, according to CAH officials,
there is also an economic motivation.
" This comes both from customers,
as there is pressure on the suppliers'
environmental approach to reduce their
carbon footprint when handling their
aircraft, and from the ground handling
providers themselves, i.e., the cost of
electrified funds is already in many
cases lower than for fossil fuel funds, "
officials at CAH say.
Operations Design and
GSE Procurement
Rhodes notes that the infrastructure
available at airports is often
significant, and this can limit ground
handling operations.
" GSE has to be available whenever
needed in order to handle an aircraft
safely and efficiently, ensuring not to
march2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2022
