GROUND HANDLING OPERATIONS TRENDS IN 2023
After a severe disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ground operations will face many challenges in dealing with growing demand. The following are some of the prominent trends in 2023 from an IATA research .
1. Overcoming labor shortages and knowledge gaps
Thousands of ground staffs have left the aviation industry during the pandemic. And as the industry ramps up, a severe shortage of the ground staff is making people pay more attention to retaining resources. When skilled personnel leave, newcomers will have knowledge gaps and need time to gain valuable work experience.
Some long term solutions for this issue :
Adopt a stronger talent acquisition strategy to attract you employee, emphasizing the attractiveness and career path mapping. This is quite challenging, because during the pandemic there was perception of cutting large numbers of staffs.
Employee retention policy with improved working environment, more flexible working time and better income.
More efficient onboarding processes with training standardization and a greater focus on competency-based training, more online training and skills assessments…
2. Increasing the risk of baggage mishandling
Mr Huỳnh Quang Đông Safety Deputy Manager
Countries lift travel restrictions after the pandemic, and people are also confident about returning to air travel. IATA predicts that there will be 4 billion airline passengers in 2024, reaching pre-pandemic levels. An increase in flight volume will come with an increase in baggage load, and more long-haul flights will increase baggage transfers.
According to SITA's baggage report, the baggage service error rate is 4.35 cases per 1000 passengers in 2021, a significant increase of 24.3% compared to a year earlier. The recent incidents at some airports involving thousands of mishandled baggage are reminders to airlines and their stakeholders. They must find practical and effective solutions to regain customer trust and reduce the costs incurred from mishandled bags . We need to know that baggage services are not just about technologies and mechanics. Baggage journey is a key factor in airline customer satisfaction. Failure to deliver a passenger's baggage as expected will destroy all good memories of great inflight services and products .
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 02 ISSUE 01 | APR– 2023
3. Move towards standardization
Standardization will help businesses unlock potential strengths in the increasingly complex and highly competitive business environment of freight and ground services. They allow airlines to work smoothly with each other and with other stakeholders such as airports, ground service companies, cargo agents or authorities. We still have oppotunities for more standards in manydifferent areas of air transportation operations, especially for ground operations. In the past, ground service companies had many operational procedures, as individual airline required its own process. This created substantial complexity for ground companies. And the airline faced same issue itself when it wanted to fly to new markets, when it had to do onboarding to ground service providers to ensure that personnel was trained and follow the airline’s procedures.
IATA says that the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and IATA's Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) are succeeding in promoting the standardization of ground handling processes worldwide. This is even more meaningful in the post-Covid e rapid build-up of operations. IGOM and ISAGO complement each other to ensure safety and efficiency in ground hanlding, the goal of both is to reduce risks, prevent ground damage, and enable standardized, sustainable operations.
4. Digitalization and sustainability
The expected growth due to increased air travel demand coming with a large number of aircraft entering the sky will make airports less space, clean air and noisier. Digitization and automation are important improvements for the productivity and sustainability of the ground operations particularly and the whole aviation industry in general. It is the necessary solution to deal with rising problems such as low capacity, congestion, pollution, personnel shortage...
Real-time information connectivity in ground operations is also being implemented. This information sharing can complement human-tohuman with machine-to-machine interactions, and provides better predictive analytics to accommodate more traffic and turnaround performance while ensuringsafeoperations.
New generation batteries and alternative green fuels also contribute to the net zero commitment.. Technological advances have made control systems moreprecise and moreautomated . Understanding these trends will help us proactively respond and take appropriate action to achieve sustainable growth in the long run.
Source:https://www.iata.org/globalassets/iata/ pressroom/gmd/ground-ops-2023-trends.pdf
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 03 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
PAPERLESS INAIRCRAFT TECHOPS
What is paperless Aircraft TechOps?
In a digital transformation era, “paperless” is a spotlight in every industry area. In order to have right understanding about paperless, we should breakdown what digital transformation is first. In general, digital transformation shall have 3 layers: digitization, digitalization, digital transformation, which not separated but coherent to each other.
Digitization refers to creating a digital representation of physical objects or attributes. In the other words, digitization is the process of making information available and accessible in a digital format. This is the connection between the physical world and software.
Digitalization is the act of making process more automated through the use of digital. Digitalization improves an existing business process by leveraging the digital technology and digitized data, but doesn’t change or transform them.
Digital Transformation is really business transformation enabled by digitalization.
Mr Lê Bá Bảo AMOS Administration Team Leader
Going to paperless is a process that go through whole digital transformation process: digitize all the paper-based information into a digital formats and store them in an accessible storage; adapt the paper-based process with the paperless process base on the converted data; and finally transform the business process by the enabling of technology: mobile technology, online software, electronic signature, etc.
In Aircraft Technical Operation (TechOps), there is a huge numbers of area can be considered for paperless operation. In the Maintenance and Engineering generally, it might be Electronic Submission and Approval of Documentation, and also Electronic Safety and Compliance Audits. In Maintenance Planning, it might be XML Maintenance Program, Automatic Pre-packaging of Maintenance Tasks, Automatic storage of Maintenance Records, etc. In Line, Base and Component Maintenance, it might be Digital Technical Publication Access, auto ID/RFID, e-signature on performed tasks, etc. In Warehouse and Supply Chain, it might be the XML of Procurement forms, shop reports, movement control, etc. In Aircraft Transfer, it might be Standardized Lease Transfer Requirements, Back to Birth records, etc. .
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 04 ISSUE 02 | APR-2023
Why paperless TechOps shall play a crucial role in aviation?
There are a lot of generated paper records and paperwork in the maintenance activities. It comes from the long history in aircraft maintenance and supporting processes, which made inherent paperbased processes. And the challenging also comes from the requirement of lessors, asset owners. Therefore with the paperless TechOps, it makes significant changes in operation, compliance aspect and also create the momentum to accelerate the digital transformation process of whole aviation.
What is the track on paperless progress of Vietjet TechOps?
The focusing on paperless TechOps at Vietjet are the electronic technical log (ETLB), and the initiatives around the AMOS-core system of Maintenance and Engineering.
ETLB Implementation Project is under approval process by CAAV, and will be deploy soon. And As a result, coordination between the flight crew and the technical maintenance team becomes smoother and more efficient.
With AMOS as a core system for Maintenance and Engineering, there are lots of initiatives involved in paperless process. One of them is AMOS Mobile/EXEC deployment with the mobility and paperless capability, which enabled by mobile technology and e-signature adoption.
By combination of ETLB and AMOS Mobile/EXEC, almost daily operation processes by maintenance staff and flight crew which involved in aircraft maintenance would be covered.
How paperless can add the value to operation, especially in safety area?
The paperless itself is a fancy word, and the elimination of paper just the tip of the iceberg. Then the key value proposition of Digital Transformation in general and paperless in specialized is more safety and efficiency .
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 05 ISSUE 01 | 4-2023
Increase Data accuracy and integrity: due to data input only one-time and stored in a secured storage, it decreases the possibility of mismatch in data entry and lost or missing data due to oversight of handover.
Real-time tracking and reporting Aircraft status: with the mobility possibility all data shall be available in a centralized system in timely manner, therefore the aircraft status is monitored realtime.
Decrease Turn around time and cost due to optimize integration between Engineering, Maintenance and Operation.
Minimize environmental impact by paper, and involve in zero emission progress .
Safety, Quality and Airworthiness Compliance are key drivers of value propositions derived from paperless operations.
The transfer of paper-based records to and from maintenance information systems and other databases, can engender an environment whereby human error can occur in the transactions and lead to errors in configuration control and airworthiness compliance.
Examples could include:
· AD non-compliance
· Incorrect parts fitted
· Inspections not carried out at required intervals
· Parts not changed at required intervals
· Work not performed by properly licensed/certified mechanics/engineers
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 06 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING CABIN SAFETY REGULATIONS ON AIRCRAFT
Mrs Nguyen Thi Dung Designated Cabin Safety Inspector
Have you ever wondered why you have to fasten your seatbelt, put your seatback upright, stow your tray table, open window shade, stow your carry-on baggage under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin, and lower your armrest duringtakeoff and landing on aplane? This article will answer those questions and help passengers understand the importance of complying with cabin safetyregulations on airplanes .
Fastening your seatbelt throughout the flight is crucial to ensure everyone's safety in case the plane flies through an area with bad weather or experiences sudden altitude loss. When the seatbelt sign is illuminated, passengers must fasten their seatbelt and accompanying infants. This ensures that they will not be ejected from their seats in case of sudden altitude loss or emergencies.
Putting seatback upright during takeoff and landing is to prepare passengers to deal with emergency situations. Seatback upright allows passengers to be more alert and focused to listen to and follow the emergency instructions from Cabin crew. Additionally, sitting upright helps passengers easily observe their surroundings and detect unusual situations or situations that need to be addressed immediately
Therefore, putting seatback upright during takeoff and landing is crucial to ensure safety and readiness for emergency situations on the plane, and seatbacks do not hinder emergency evacuation.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 07 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
Closing tray tables during takeoff and landing is also an important regulation to minimize the risk of injury in case of sudden deceleration or emergencies. In case of evacuation, closing tray tables will not obstruct the evacuation process .
Asking passengers to open the window shade during takeoff and landing not only allows them to easily look outside, but also helps them quickly detect any dangerous or unfamiliar objects and promptly report them to Cabin crew, preventing many potential risks. Opening the window shade also provides light for passengers to identify emergency exits and quickly assess the conditions outside.
Properly packing and weighing your carry-on baggage is not enough; it is equally crucial to arrange and position it correctly to ensure safety, particularly during takeoff and landing. Neglecting to do so can result in hazardous situations, such as the loose baggage being thrown around, injuring passengers and crew members during sudden turbulence, or obstructing emergency procedures. Therefore, it's important to stow all carry-on items properly and avoid keeping them on your lap or on the seat next to you.
For Cabin crew, in case of emergency evacuation with fire and smoke, they can evaluate which way is safe to evacuate and guide passengers.
So, how important is lowering your armrest during takeoff and landing?
In case of aircraft flying through turbulent weather, holding onto the armrest will help passengers protect themselves and be safer in the event of strong turbulence.
Small carry-on items can be placed under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin except for the emergency exit row, while larger carry-on items such as suitcases can only be placed in the overhead bin.
In summary, although it may seem inconvenient to comply with all these rules during takeoff and landing, they are put in place for one reason - to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew members.
Therefore, passengers should regularly update and comply with all airline safety regulations, which helps ensure all passengers are as prepared as possible for any incidents that may occur during their flight .
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 08 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
FATIGUE MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION OPERATIONS – GIVEN SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS/IMPROVE
Fatigue is a term that describes a feeling of lacking energy, of the body feeling exhausted, of having no motivation left, or of lacking energy to work. In contrast, “feeling good” and “being energized” are manifestations of a healthy person, often resulting from a process of proper work and rest.
Fatigue can be a common symptom of many diseases or can also be in consequence of lifestyle, working environment or job-specific factors, such as sedentary lifestyle, lack of oxygen, working at high altitudes where there is intense solar radiation, in an environment with higher-thannormal electromagnetic waves or inappropriate work/rest and nutrition regime. Feeling sleepy is a manifestation of fatigue, the body is asking for rest so that the body's functional organs, especially the central nervous system, can rest to regain the necessary balance in biological activities which helps to create the premise for functional activities in the next period.
Mr. Vũ Anh Tuấn
OQA Deputy Manager
Translator: Nguyen Hoai Thu Deputy DCC Manager
Difficulty concentrating and remembering, inaccurate manipulation, delay in making decisions, failure to assess events, depression, unconscious/fainting, or accidents/incidents while working, etc. can be a symptom/cause of prolonged fatigue.
Fatigue poses a hight risk to pilots, cabin crew and passengers as it significantly increases the likelihood of pilot error. Fatigue is particularly common among pilots because “unforeseen extended flight duty periods cause circadian disruption or sleep deprivation”. These factors can occur together to create a combination of sleep deprivation and fatigue when the circadian clock is “working on time.” Aviation authorities have tried to reduce fatigue by flight time limitations and adequate rest requirements for pilots at weekly, monthly and yearly intervals .
In aviation operations, to ensure the safety of each flight, ICAO has defined fatigue as "a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefulness, circadian phase, or workload”.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 09 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
According to Vietnam Aviation Regulation (VAR) - Part 15 and the IOSA StandardsFLT 3.4.3A/FLT3.4.3B, to make contribution to flight safety assurance, all flight information, flight time limitations, flight duty periods, rest requirements and also regulations on extended fligh duty periods and/or reduced rest periods must be established for all flight and cabin crew members. Flight duty periods are calculated in detail including time for ground duties and SIM training for flight instructors and part-time instructors. The above regulations have already been specified in VietJet’s operations manuals. It is documented that when the flight duty periods of flight and cabin crew members exceed the prescribed requirements (inadequate rest), the crew shall report to be arranged compensatory rest subsequently. (VJC’s OMAChapter 7; VJC’s CSM – Chapter 5).
In order to optimize resources and reduce operating costs, each airline has different policies on flight and cabin crew schedules to ensure compliance with the law and also cost harmonization in accordance with the specific operations of each airline.
For the purpose of reducing fatigue and ensuring fitness for duty for flight and cabin crew members, the airlines often have duty rosters in compliance with flight time limitations, rest periods as regulated by authorities. Crew are paired and scheduled to avoid getting bored flying many times on certain routes. Some airlines specify in their manuals that after a long-haul flight, deadheading crew are rested on First Class seat or in a separate compartment on the return flight. Indeed, there are also airlines who pays attention to arrange fullyequipped hotels at out base or a quiet lounge for crew to rest after flight time until returning their home base. Achieving the above implemtation requires each airline to create balance scales with costs to ensure flight safety on one side againts its profit on the other. The expenses for the rest of crew members are also valuable/necessary to create professional attraction and promote the image/class of each airline. It is such beneficial expense for improving and maintaining the long-term health of flight and cabin crew .
The proper utilization of flight and cabin crew resources in aviation operations is an expression of the humanity and artistry of each leader.
This resource is a specific type of labor that can be neither trained in one or two day nor easy to recruit that exploiting resources optimally, complied the regulations of Vietnam and international aviation authorities, still having a satisfactory remuneration regime to not only ensure flight safety but also maintain strength and efficient utilization in the long-run is always a “hard nut to crack”; however, the airlines still have to achieve the implementation.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 10 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
VAR 15.007 Operator Responsibilities
An Operator shall:
Publish duty rosters sufficiently in advance to provide the opportunity for crew members to plan adequate rest
Ensure that flight duty periods are planned in a way that enables crew members to remain sufficiently free from fatigue so that they can operate to a satisfactory level of safety under all circumstances;
Specify reporting times that allow sufficient time for ground duties;
Take into account the relationship between the frequency and pattern of flight duty periods and rest periods and give consideration to the cumulative effects of undertaking long duty hours combined with minimum rest periods;
Allocate duty patterns which avoid practices that cause a serious disruption of an established sleep/work pattern, such as alternating day/night duties;
Comply with the provisions concerning disruptive schedules in accordance with this Part;
Provide rest periods of sufficient time to enable crew members to overcome the effects of the previous duties and to be rested by the start of the following flight duty period;
Plan recurrent extended recovery rest periods and notify crew members sufficiently in advance;
Plan flight duties in order to be completed within the allowable flight duty period taking into account the time necessary for pre-flight duties, the sector and turnaround times;
Change a schedule and/or crew arrangements if the actual operation exceeds the maximum flight duty period on more than 33% of the flight duties in that schedule during a scheduled seasonal period.
A few fatigue-related accident/incidents:
AA808 - DC-8, on August 18, 1993 crashed in Cuba. The investigation results identified pilot fatigue as the main cause.
KE801 crashed in Guam, killing 228 passengers and crew. The results of the investigation determined that the pilot flying was tired and did not brief with the pilot monitoring about the procedure of approaching and descending below the minimum descent altitude.
On May 22, 2010, the IX 812 crashed while landing in Mangalore, India, killing 158 people on board. The captain, who had dozed off during the flight, woke up but not fully alert before landing.
Pilot fatigue was identified as a possible cause of the Afriqiyah Airways’s 8U 771 crash on 12 May 2010, killing 103 passengers and 11 crew members.
The pilot of flight 1002, Go Airline, on October 2008, during a 36-minute flight from Honolulu to Hilo, fell asleep and flew 30 nautical miles over the destination. Then they woke up and landed safely. The day of the incident was the third consecutive day that both pilots started duty at 5:40 a.m.
It has been estimated that 4-7% of civil aviation incidents and accidents can be attributed to fatigued pilots.
Over the past 16 years, fatigue has been associated with 250 fatalities in air carrier accidents.
There was a case that the crew fell asleep while flying into the airspace of another country and could not be contacted. That country had to send military aircraft for escorting.
(Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman, said at an FAA symposium in July 2016)
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 11 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS OF SAFETY ISSUES
In 1st quarter 2023,
Captain Basel Tale Al-Shahrour
Safety Pilot
We have seen great improvements of safety issues such as TCAS, false glideslope capture leading to undesired aircraft state, unstable approaches- continue to land and landing related events. On behalf of Flight Operations Division, we would like to congratulate and thank all our pilots for your tremendous efforts and hard work in maintaining a high safety performance.
1. TCAS events
From Jan 2022 until end of October 2022, a total of 6 cases of TCAS - Traffic Advisory (TA) events. These events were triggered during climb/descend due to the incorrect flight path management from our crew.
In October 2022, we experienced one TCAS -Resolution Advisory (RA) which resulted in loss of separation between two aircraft.
Flight Operation Department issued NTP and Safety Bulletin for “lesson learned” and to implement a safer way forward of reducing vertical speed when approaching its assigned flight level. These enhancements and the great compliance from our pilots has resulted in zero TCAS events until present day.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 12 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
Figure 1: TCAS event from Jan 2022 - March 2023
2. Overall improvement of landing technique and unstable approaches compared to 2021:
Our pilots has shown great improvement of decreasing number of long landings and unstable approach -continue to land.
This improvement has resulted in an increase of rejected landings (go around below 50ft). We highly encourage go arounds if the approach and landing cannot be continued safely, however there are several methods avoiding the aircraft reaching its undesired aircraft state such as
Enhancing TEM briefings
Pilot Monitoring function and using standard call outs
Scanning techniques
Avoid sidestick overcontrol
Runway touchdown zone awareness
Environmental awareness (winds, airport elevation, slope…) etc.
For Unstable Approach- continue to land events, VietJet rate was below the Asia Pacific average.
Long Flare Distance rate of VietJet was 95% lower than the average of the Asia Pacific Operators.
Compared with the overall trend in the Asia Pacific Operators, VietJet had a trend rate 33% lower with Abnormal runway contact events (tailstrike/wingstrike hazard, hard landings etc.)
The safety experts are working continuously to predict emerging risk, and with new flight data animation tools such as CEFA, we may continue to increase safety awareness, enhance training and promote safety for our crew and in all areas of flight operations .
3. Diversion event due to ENG #1 EGT over limit during cruise of flight HPH-ICN
In cruise at FL351 in Shanghai FIR, the crew noticed master caution trigger “ENG1 EGT over limit”. Both crew monitored the engine parameters and identified the failure.
The CAPT took control and ordered ECAM actions as EGT of ENG1 rapidly increased. The EGT was fluctuating at that time and the CAPT and FO observed, the EGT around 1150 degrees. While following the ECAM actions, the CAPT retarded ENG1 thrust lever to idle with the confirmation of the FO. The EGT was still showing in red (over limit) and followed ECAM guidance for engine master off. The ECAM warning disappeared and the crew correctly followed engine shut down procedure in the FCOM. The CAPT initiated descent with one engine inoperative as per SOP; A-THR off, selected lower level, OP DES mode and M0.78 selected. During initial descent, the CAPT declared PAN PAN as “LAND ASAP” was indicated in ECAM. The CAPT initially planned for diversion to Shanghai since it was in the direction of the flight. The ATC approved for descent and the crew requested for diversion. The CAPT gave the controls to the FO and sent ACARS message to OMC “EGT overlimit, ENG shut down and planned diversion to Shanghai” for confirmation. After a couple of minutes, OMC advised crew to divert to HGH airport as alternate airport with available maintenance support.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 13 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
Hình 2: Kỹ thuật ra bằng
The CAPT requested ATC to change the diversion airport. The ATC supported the crew as requested. The crew followed the SOP for assessment and crew briefing (DODAR and NITS briefing). The Purser conducted briefing with cabin crew members and called the CAPT back after completion. Then the CAPT made PA to all passengers for their information of technical problem and diversion.
The ATC cleared crew for ILS Z RWY07 in HGH airport. Both crew realized that the aircraft was still overweight for landing as current weight of 76 tons. According to crew assessment, the CAPT requested to extend radar vector for about 10 mins to burn the extra fuel. The approach and landing was performed successfully. After landing, the flight vacated the runway and continued to the gate without further issue. The aircraft was grounded for inspection and has still no final conclusion of the cause of the failure.
The outstanding coordination between Flight crew, Cabin crew, ATC, OMC and the passengers is an example of good leadership, teamwork and CRM. Well done to our crew that handled the challenging situation in a safe and extraordinary manner.
SAFETY MAGAZINE | 14 ISSUE 01 | APR-2023
DOAN MINH KHUONG 2 TIẾP VIÊN TRƯỞNG
ATANASIJEVIC MILAN CƠ TRƯỞNG
