Airport ground handling – industry overview 2014. Part 1: Liberalisation, efficiency & compensation

Long considered, perhaps unfairly, to be the 'bottom feeder' of the air transport business, the global airport ground handling business is now estimated to be worth over USD80 billion per annum according to its trade association, ASA - while some say USD100 billion.

By comparison the airline industry turned over around USD700 billion in 2013.

Ground handling's status may be growing but this particular business segment has unique issues that frequently dominate its agenda.

Part 1 of this report deals with the impact of liberalisation, the counter-intuitive inefficiency of multiple ground handlers and the recent UK Supreme Court's potentially disruptive decision on claims for delayed flights. Part 2 will review the consolidation of the ground handling industry and emerging alliances.