How to Choose The Best Ground Support Equipment

Ground support equipment is critical for any airport, no matter the size or type of activity. This means that the ground support equipment market is a global, multi-billion dollar industry. There are hundreds of different types of equipment, with many variants and types of propulsion. What’s more, there are hundreds of companies that manufacture ground support equipment and other companies that provide maintenance and support services.

The market is continuously growing and new technology is quickly changing this industry. New technology means that pushback tugs, air start carts, and aircraft ground power supply units are becoming more efficient, more reliable, and durable. This means lower costs for operators, a longer lifespan, and easier maintenance.

Ground support equipment is a major investment for any business involved in aviation. Major companies have their own ground support equipment, while smaller operators lease equipment from large airlines. Airports also have their own ground support equipment that provides extra assistance for airlines.

Choosing the best ground support equipment for your aviation company

As you probably already know, there’s a huge variety of ground support equipment to choose from. You can choose anything from second-hand units to high-tech units and everything in-between. There’s something for every business that wants to expand its operations. But what factors should you pay attention to when choosing the right equipment? Is it efficient? Is it the right price? Or should you just go ahead and buy second-hand equipment? Let’s take a closer look:

Ease of use and simple maintenance

Ease of use – this is the first factor you need to pay attention to. Why? It’s simple – ground support equipment is heavily used at all airports. These pieces of equipment will work hard, almost continuously and they must be reliable. What’s more, they will be the ones you have to rely on for years and decades to come. Also, if your GSE fleet is easy to use, your efficiency will improve immensely, your costs will be lower and mistakes will be less frequent. Additionally, your staff will require less training and you will be able to hire more people, much faster and without the hassle of going through long training courses. Simply put, there will be more people who can operate simple-to-use equipment.

Ground support equipment, like aircraft ground power supply units or a pushback tug, should be easy to repair. This means support services will be easier to find, replacement parts will be cheaper and your costs will be lower. What’s more, easy maintenance means that your GSE will have a longer lifespan and will be more durable.

Providing multiple services

Ground support equipment is used for a lot of different services. Essentially, everything that happens after an aircraft lands and before it flies again is handled by ground support equipment. This means that you will have to focus on a lot of different types of services, from catering, lavatory carts, loaders and unloaders, fueling, moving aircraft, stairs, jet engine air starting services, and so on. There is different equipment designed for each of these tasks – and your company should handle as many types of services as possible.

It’s very important to have a good GSE supplier. Always work with a company that provides the best equipment for you, knows what you need, knows the industry, and can provide the best service. In the long run, your operation will be streamlined, reducing costs and making your customers happier.

Reliability

Reliability is another major factor affecting your purchasing decision in this industry. Your whole operation relies heavily on fully operational ground support equipment. If GSE doesn’t work properly flights are delayed or canceled. In extreme situations, the aircraft itself can be damaged by malfunctioning ground support equipment. This leads to immense safety risks for anyone involved, including the flight crew, the passengers, and the ground support crew. Obviously, using the most reliable and fully, properly maintained equipment is critical.

Versatility

Ground support equipment must also be versatile – you must be able to provide various unexpected services to airports and airlines, especially during rush hours or special events. These special events and unexpected services are quite common in the aviation industry, especially if the weather conditions are poor. Your ground support equipment should be able to work smoothly in various physical spaces, during peak hours and in extreme weather conditions. The aviation industry is very versatile, and your business should be the same.

Most ground support equipment is used almost 24 hours a day, every day. They are constantly running and active – they are essentially the workhorses at every airport. When something breaks down, it’s a disaster. If this happens, it’s very important to receive excellent technical support, as soon as possible. The support should be provided by a reliable maintenance company, preferably the manufacturer of the equipment. For instance, if your aircraft ground power supply unit doesn’t work anymore, you will need a good support team to assist you immediately. Similarly, you simply cannot wait several days to have a malfunctioning pushback tug repaired. Your whole business may be affected if you don’t work with a reliable maintenance and support company. To avoid this from happening, always buy equipment that comes with a warranty, even if it’s second-hand equipment. Similarly, pay attention to the contract – is there any after-sale support offered? What type of support are you getting and in what conditions?

Good after-sale support

The price

The price is obviously very important for any company. Unfortunately, many companies focus solely on this aspect and usually go for the cheapest ground support equipment available. This is a disastrous approach, as this type of equipment is usually unreliable and will not be as efficient as newer models. Competitive pricing is important, but you will have to pay attention to quality and the long term benefits of choosing better equipment. For instance, electric pushback tractors are more expensive than diesel models, but they are cheaper to operate, making them more cost-efficient in the long run.