Professional Pilot, October 2016

VKO Vnukovo Moscow Russia has fine tuned the GA handling process and parking options are almost always available there While this can be a pricey location you can have anything you ask for on the ground handling booking task and doesnt realize that the flightcrew has already taken care of these arrangements comments Universal Weather Director for Corporate Compliance Audits Kathy Self Vetting handlers In most cases the best way to vet a foreign based handler and ensure adequate levels of regulatory compliance and service is to rely upon your ISP Part of our responsibility as an ISP is to vet ground handling services says Avfuel Account Mgr David Kang Particularly for operators going to new destinations its best to take a conservative approach and deal with local handlers with the best track records At smaller locations however infrastructure services and personnel may be limited and you might need to make do with whats available In some cases we may recommend repositioning a supervisory agent to oversee local handling credit and GSE needs Theres a cost involved but it improves the handling experience reduces potential delays and helps avoid issues with language barriers credit and services Airside access Be aware that airside access and under wing services may be restricted to airport authority ground personnel and or 1 designated handler at many locations in China Ethiopia and elsewhere It may be a case where youre met by airport authority handlers on the ramp and do not see your contracted handler or supervisory agent until youre inside the terminal and through immigration customs 86 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2016 At PEK Beijing China the airport authority marshals and guides your aircraft to the parking spot and then escorts you to the GAT where other handlers not permitted airside may take over says International Trip Planning Services ITPS Sr Ops Specialist Curt Kurshildgen At MGA Managua Nicaragua the airport authority discontinued all airside handling licenses a few years ago and its been a bit of a nightmare ever since As ISPs we let operators know well in advance of these service limitations along with potential language barriers that may be encountered Cost considerations Traveling around the world with a business jet is never something to attempt on a backpacker budget Handling costs overseas can range from reasonable to extremely expensive and do not necessarily relate to quality of services LTN Luton London UK for example offers 1st class services at relatively reasonable handling costs its the parking costs that can be very expensive A smaller location in central Africa that receives little GA traffic on the other hand may level an extraordinarily expensive handling proposition even though infrastructure and service levels may be very basic or lacking Airports in a particular region as well as different handlers on the same field have varying degrees of pricing expands Kang A lot depends on local competition and overall supply demand Land at a smaller location in Africa and your handling charges may be thousands and thousands of dollars even though services are minimal At larger airports in the same region with full service support handling may cost less than half as much Airports in monopoly or quasi monopoly positions typically charge more for handling and associated services At some locations a local handler may control the entire process including fuel sourcing and might charge whatever they want for their services says Linebaugh At HKG Hong Kong for example all GA operators must use Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre HKBAC and theres no opportunity for haggling on price The good news at this location is that service quality and handling are exceptionally good Making a stop at PEK will likely cost you 10000 to 15000 for airport fees ground handling at support services not including fuel or catering ISPs say that haggling on handling and related services prices is generally not an option within the world of international GA ops There may be room for price negotiation when setting up contracts with local handlers particularly when published prices for a particular location seem higher than the local norm says Barrett We can also obtain advance cost quotes for ground handling fuel and associated services whenever operators request this Jeppesen Vendor Relations Manager for Eastern Europe Turkey Russia Stans and Africa Ian Humphrey points out that When an ISP has a significant volume of flights to a particular location lower rates can often be negotiated and these savings are passed directly on to the operators Theres less flexibility however when dealing with sole provider situations such as FAB Farnborough