GHI FEBRUARY 2008 31 Powerstow without its own peculiarities and has not been as clear cut as perhaps we would have liked it to be. “Our commercial activity is based on obtaining airline contracts in line with our business plan; this is proving to be more difficult than originally envisioned, as many airlines have tended to sit on the fence as the issues of handling company activity beyond the end of February are resolved. Of late, there has been an upsurge in interest and we anticipate that the sluggish start will not impact our ability to attract significant business. “The award of the licence has resulted in BIDAir Services investing more than US$20m in new GSE for delivery prior to the end of February in order for us to meet the requirements of the licence. More than 400 pieces of GSE, including A380 capable equipment, have been ordered and we look forward with great anticipation to being able to introduce this equipment during March. “We have once again ordered a number of battery-powered vehicles which will be utilised in the basement and covered areas in line with our licensing requirements. We continue to monitor new developments in GSE design and have an open mind on the introduction of new technology equipment that would be suitable for differing operating environments. “Recruitment of suitably experienced and qualified staff is our main priority at the moment, especially in the fields of wide-bodied ramp handling and passenger services, where our skills base is limited at present. All recruitment was finalised by the end of January which will allow us to complete any additional training that may be required. Our current workforce of more than 2,000 full time employees will not be forgotten in this process and will be further trained, as appropriate. “Outsourcing of handling by local airlines remains an interesting aspect of this market. Some airlines continue to look for further outsourcing opportunities whilst others have brought some services, such as passenger handling, in-house during the past year. The outcome of South African Airways’ deliberations on whether to self-handle or continue to outsource was awaited with interest as this carrier represents the single largest component of the South African market. “As for the coming 12 months, it will be a watershed year in the South African ground handling arena, with two new licence holders assimilating a large portion of the total market in March. The undoubted challenge is for this to be achieved with minimal disruption to the airline and travelling public communities. “Another aspect that will receive a lot of attention this year is whether handling activities, especially in the areas of customer service and baggage handling, will achieve the higher levels of service that have been committed to in terms of our licensing requirements. The management and staff of BIDAir Services have no doubt that we will rise to the occasion and clearly demonstrate that what has been promised will be delivered – and then some!”

& cleaning news Catering Servair has been honoured by its peers for its safety programme, which was introduced with the loading of the A380 in mind. The Icare award, which has been presented since 1996 by the Association of the Safety Chart CDG and the Regional Health Insurance Centre, is presented to any company that stands out during a 12-month period through its safety-related actions and initiatives at Roissy CDG. Loading of aircraft is a delicate operation with a major risk: that of falling from a height of perhaps five metres. This risk is linked not only to human factors (such as an absence of protective gear or an ignorance of the aircraft door’s manoeuvre) but also to external forces, such as wind or bad weather. With the arrival of the A380, where the loading is performed at a height of over eight metres, and with plenty of other activity around the aircraft, Servair justifiably wanted to guarantee its employees an enhanced level of safety. Therefore, with the Regional Health Insurance Centre and the constructor SOVAM, Servair developed a loading truck that limits the risks that are based on human factors and improves work conditions. Indeed, beyond the technical equipment, the reinforcement of safety practices has been designed to reduce employee stress. The new truck has heightened safety features, such as the automatic unfolding of protection facilities, an integrated anemometer for windy conditions and a device for retaining personnel in a chamber until the safety catch is activated. According to lain Delafosse, Project Head at the Technical Division: “The loading truck couldn’t have been achieved without the strong mobilisation and involvement of the teams. United in a multidisciplinary group, they worked over several months on this technically complex subject by sharing their respective know-how of the relevant fields.” The main challenge was the security of the operators behind a safety gate as long as the telescopic drawer and the two rails weren’t unfolded. To achieve this, sensors were placed at the extremities to detect the presence of the aircraft’s skin at approximately 100 millimetres. Thus, the opening of the safety gate is only possible when the three sensors are all activated. Moreover, a device on the truck allows the operators to perfectly line up the door of the aircraft with the surface of the platform, avoiding a space between the right rail and the skin of the fuselage. “We are very proud to win this Icare Trophy, which rewards our permanent efforts in the safety field,” commented Jeannine Caravaggio, Servair’s Secretary General, on receiving the prize at Environment House at Paris Charles de Gaulle. The safety of its employees is one of Servair’s priorities and special training programmes and audits are regularly carried out at the group’s 35 sites. Award for safety programme OCS Transport is investing in stateof- the-art, hi-lift access equipment to ensure it provides the shortest possible turnaround for cleaning the new double-decker A380 Airbus fleet operated by Singapore Airlines into London Heathrow. The new hi-lift access platform, mounted on a Mercedes chassis, was seen for the first time in OCS livery on the Mallaghan stand at InterAirport Europe last October. The platform is capable of reaching the eight metre upper deck sill height of the A380. At a typical cost of more than £200,000 per unit, the hilift investment will allow OCS to meet the most demanding cleaning schedule. The company has just 48 minutes to OCS targets the A380 return the upper and main deck passenger areas of the 500-seater Airbus to a pristine condition after a typical 13 hour incoming flight. This has also led to adopting a tailored cleaning methodology, which has been developed specifically for the A380. Announcing the new investment OCS Transport’s Managing Director, Martin Gammon, said: “This means we will be the only cleaning operation at Heathrow with purpose-designed access equipment for the new Airbus. And with global orders already placed for around 200 of the new airliners, it indicates we are serious about investing in quality, performance and efficiency for our clients.” The arrival of this new generation of giant aircraft has driven a multi-billion pound investment at Heathrow and the first commitment to the quieter, cleaner aircraft has come from Singapore Airlines, which will operate the service initially on its “Kangaroo Route” and link Sydney, Singapore and London Heathrow. 32 FEBRUARY 2008 GHI