The combination of safety and security ensures that air travel is safe.

Safety, which includes such aspects as aircraft free of technical defects, proper loading and smooth processes on the ramp, helps to keep passengers safe – just like security.

However, damage is possible in the area of safety despite good intentions. It does not require the evil intent of a terrorist, for instance, for the potential of serious consequences to exist.

Safety is split into two areas: all safety aspects related to the aircraft, such as manufacturing, maintenance and the training of pilots and aircraft mechanics are strictly regulated under EASA standards.

The remaining safety regulations, in particular the requirements for ground handling service providers and the training of aircraft handlers, are imprecise and are neither consistently complied with nor monitored.

Aircraft handlers must load and unload aircraft within increasingly tight time constraints without making mistakes or forgetting important aspects. Consequently, they make a decisive contribution to safety in flight operations and are responsible for the human lives entrusted to them as well as the aircraft themselves, which are worth millions.

Every minute on the ground costs the airport, the aircraft handlers and the airlines money. In addition, the rules that must be complied with are constantly becoming more complex, the range of tasks more varied, and the responsibility greater: a job with no margin for error.