The airline industry has warned of a ground handling staff shortage as travel ramps up post-pandemic.
Industry body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has called for comprehensive reforms to manage the long-term need for a stable talent base for the ground handling sector.
“Thousands of ground handling staff left the aviation industry during the pandemic. Now as aviation ramps up, the severe shortage of skilled ground handlers is shedding light on the need for reform to stabilize the talent pool,” a spokesman said.
“In the immediate term, the most pressing issue is the bottleneck for security clearances as the airline industry prepares for the peak northern summer season.
Longer-term, IATA has urged the ground handling sector to adopt a stronger talent acquisition strategy. It also wants to see a more streamlined onboarding processes, and for the industry to develop a more compelling retention proposition.
IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, Nick Careen, said: “The peak northern summer travel season is fast-approaching, and passengers are already experiencing the effects of bottlenecks in getting security clearances for staff at the airport.
“Additional resources are needed to accelerate the processing times for employment security clearances which can be as much as 6 months in some markets. The shortages we are experiencing today are a symptom of the longer-term challenges to achieve a stable talent base in ground handling,” said.
At IATA’s recent ground handling conference, it proposed a comprehensive approach to recruitment, onboarding, and retention.
The industry body has made a number of recommendations. One is the adoption of a “25by25” campaign to help address the gender imbalance across the industry.
It also suggests apprenticeships in partnership with trade schools to revitalise candidate pipelines.
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