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    AITO angry as government denies major role in airport chaos

    “It is ridiculous that the Government is trying to pass the buck to the travel industry”, claims AITO
    Chris Rowles, AITO Chairman announces:  “We’ve had enough.  The Government is playing the blame game, and trying to pass the buck to the wider travel industry.
    “But everyone in travel, including AITO specialist tour operators and AITO specialist travel agents, has suffered hugely during the two long years of Covid.  This has been caused largely by three key linked factors.
    “The current airport issues are, in the main part, firstly due to the Government’s stop/start policy in relation to overseas travel and, secondly, due to its total lack of sector-specific support for the travel industry over the past two years.
    “The third key factor is Government’s total lack of understanding of the travel industry, despite our huge efforts to get these key messages through to the five government bodies to which the travel industry reports.”ADVERTISEMENTOther important areas for which Government must take responsibility include, AITO claims:
    Airlines being instructed by Government to return to 70% capacity by now, ie summer 2022, from pretty much a standing start.  This means that they have to sell the capacity created or risk failing.The very long security-check process for airport staff.  It took far too long for the Government to agree that new recruits could be trained during the security-checking process to save time. This is finally now in place, but airports are so far behind that they can’t easily make up for the lost time.
    Skilled overseas workers being denied relevant visas despite a huge shortage of supply in respect of a wide range of travel-related occupations.  Travel leaders asked Government to consider this option only last week; the request was turned down by Government.
    In addition to the key points above, the travel industry is also faced with the following issues that hinder recovery:
    (a) Airport and airline workers suffering from Covid sickness and not being able to work, causing increased flight cancellations, longer security checks and baggage handling problems at the airport. 
    (b) Travellers being urged by the CAA to use their ATOL-protected deferred holiday vouchers before the end of September or to risk losing their financial protection, causing a huge rush to book, evidently without any consideration by the CAA of the knock-on impact caused at airports already under stress.
    (c)  The relatively unattractive job market in travel – experienced workers across all roles who were made redundant by the travel and airline industries in the 24-month period of zero financial income have, of course, now mostly found new roles in different sectors, and are unwilling to return to a high-pressure, relatively lowly-paid industry with long and unsocial working hours and often poor working conditions.
    (d) Brexit forced large numbers of EU workers in the travel industry to return to Europe, causing massive shortages in the travel workforce. 
    Says Chris Rowles:  “Government, please hold up your hands and acknowledge your major part in the airport chaos that reigns at present.”
    “Consumers are, quite rightly, protesting about changes and cancellations to their holiday flights, but the issues need to be clearly explained.  Tour operators and travel agents have, unfortunately, no influence whatsoever over airlines (easyJet and British Airways, for example) and their schedules.  That said, we are working extremely hard to amend arrangements and to keep our clients informed.  We answer our phones and we email our customers (unlike the airlines), and are doing our utmost to help clients in a difficult scenario which is absolutely not of our making.”

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    IATA: Ground handling makes progress towards standardisation

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    IATA: Ground handling makes progress towards standardisation

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) Portal and IATA’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) are successfully driving greater standardisation of ground handling processes around the world. This is particularly important for the rapid build-up of operations as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
    “IGOM and ISAGO complement each other in driving much-needed harmonisation across the ground handling sector. And the boost in participation in both programs as the industry ramps up its operations is good news for both safety and efficiency. The aim of both is to reduce risk, avoid ground damage and enable standardised, sustainable operations,” said Monika Mejstrikova, IATA’s Director of Ground Operations.
    IGOM Portal
    Since the IGOM Portal’s launch in January, 58 airlines and 11 ground service providers (GSPs) have subscribed to its services.
    The portal enables airlines and ground handlers to interface with the IATA Ground Operations Manual. IGOM is the global industry standard for ground handling worldwide. The portal is an online platform where, with IGOM as the primary reference, airlines and GSPs can exchange information, including any variations, on their ground handling requirements.ADVERTISEMENT“The goal is global adoption of ground handling standards. The efficiency and safety gains from global standardisation have been proven throughout aviation’s development. The IGOM portal is helping achieve this by making it easier for airlines and GSPs to manage and monitor the implementation of standards and to understand variances. With 69 organisations already using the portal the drive for greater standardisation is getting a boost,” said Mejstrikova.
    The IGOM Portal is available free of charge to all airlines and GSPs. To subscribe, access the IGOM Portal.
    ISAGOSince March 2022, 28 airlines have joined ISAGO, thereby benefiting from 500 audit reports available to complement their oversight activities.
    ISAGO provides an independent assessment of all aspects of managing and providing safe ground handling services, based on the IGOM standards.
    “The increase in ISAGO participation reflects the benefits of verified compliance with global standards. With more governments now including ISAGO in their safety oversight programs, we can expect even more airlines and GSPs to join. In addition to safety improvements, ISAGO participation helps airlines to allocate resources efficiently,” says Mejstrikova.
    Given the benefits of standardisation to safety performance, IATA urges governments to recognise ISAGO in their regulatory frameworks for safety oversight. Key among the many positive outcomes is the assurance that Safety Management Systems (SMS) are being implemented by GSPs.

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