Elysium H.R Solution and Career Development Pvt. Ltd has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Global College International (GCI) in the implementation of the Internship Education concept for Bachelor of Travel and Tourism Management ( BTTM) students.The objective of the MoU was to bring together the academic concept design to strengthen students’ learning experience by integrating on-campus studies with closely related work experience.

Strengthening the Partnership, ElysiumHR initiated the TIA Airport Visit to BTTM  5th Semester Students of GCI on 4th October 2021. TIA Civil Aviation Office  authorised our formal request for the field visit of Travel and Tourism students.This Airport Field Visit was the combine effort  for imparting knowledge and honoring the skills of students about “Airport Operations”. Students were briefed  and demonstrated various aspects of “ Airport Operations”  including Aviation Security, Aviation Safety, Ground Handling Activities- Passenger Handling, Ramp Handling, Baggage Handling, Cargo Handling, Immigration Formalities, Customs Formalities at International Airport and Domestic Airport at Kathmandu.

Before the Airport Visit, a pre-briefing session was the mandatory requirement where the general but important information was disseminated for safe and secure visit of Airport because of its security sensitivity. This briefing is called ” AVSEC briefing” ( AViation  SECurity Breifing).This briefing aims to provide basic knowledge and develop security awareness and sense of responsibility. It also Outlines the standards and regulations with which staffs should comply.

Aviation security is intended to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference and threats. It is a combination of security measures and human-material resources.

What is An Airport ?

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. An airport consists of three distinct areas: airside, terminal, and landside. Although these three areas have well defined boundaries, they cannot work independently. Their individual processes are linked together and they make up an overall process in support of people, Baggage, freight, vehicles, and aircraft: the inter modal function of the airport.

In order to function efficiently, the three airport areas must provide a balanced capacity and level of service. Failure to do so will result in suboptimal conditions, potentially leading to a poor level of service, customer dissatisfaction, and financial losses for airlines and the airport operator.

Airport facilities and services must be provided according to certain criteria:

(a) On a timely basis

(b) Efficiently

(c) Safely

What is Ground Handling ?

In aviation, the term “ground handling” refers to the wide range of services provided to facilitate an aircraft flight or aircraft ground repositioning, preparation for and upon conclusion of a flight which will include both customer service and ramp service functions. Ground handling is frequently subcontracted by airlines to the airports they use, to third-party agents or to other airlines.

The ground handling team is made up of staff who perform a wide range of functions including:

1. Passenger Handling Service This includes services inside the airport terminal such as:
   • Providing check-in counter services for the passengers departing on the customer airlines.
   • Providing gate arrival and departure services. The agents are required to meet a flight on arrival as well as provide departure services including boarding passengers and closing the flight.
   • Staffing the transfer counters, customer service counters and airline lounges.
2. Baggage Handling Service : This includes services  inside the airport terminal as
   • Check-in baggage acceptance as of allowance
   • Accepted baggage sorting and Loading after screening according to the relevant authority
   • Arrival Hall Handling, baggage claim creation, tracing and recovery as per airlines  terms and conditions and internal processes with  legislative and regulatory requirements
3. Aircraft Handling Service : This includes services inside the airport terminal such as:
   • Guiding the aircraft into and out of the parking position (by way of aircraft marshalling),
   • Towing with pushback tractors
   • Lavatory drainage
   • Water cartage (typically non-potable for lavatory sink use)
   • Air conditioning (more common for smaller aircraft)
   • Airstart units (for starting engines)
   • Luggage handling, usually by means of belt loaders and baggage carts
   • Gate checked luggage, often handled on the tarmac as passengers disembark
   • Air cargo handling, usually by means of cargo dollies and cargo loaders
   • Catering trucks
   • Refueling, which may be done with a refueling tanker truck or refueling pumper
   • Ground power (so that engines need not be running to provide aircraft power on the ground)
   • Passenger stairs (used instead of an aerobridge or airstairs, some budget airlines use both to improve turnaround speed)
   • Wheelchair lifts, if required
   • Hydraulic mules (units that provide hydraulic power to an aircraft externally)
   • Deicing
4. Cabin Service : The primary aim of this service offering is to ensure passenger comfort. While cabin cleaning comprises the bulk of the effort, it also includes tasks such as replenishing onboard consumables (soap, tissues, toilet paper, reading materials) and washable items like pillows and blankets.
5. Catering Service : Catering includes the unloading of unused food and drink from the aircraft, and the loading of fresh food and drink for passengers and crew. Airline meals are typically delivered in Airline service trolleys. Empty or trash-filled trolley from the previous flight are replaced with fresh ones. Meals are prepared mostly on the ground in order to minimize the amount of preparation (apart from chilling or reheating) required in the air.