Pulkovo Airport outside St Petersburg in Russia is to introduce 12 "mobile crews" for aircraft ground handling.
The operational change was in response to the trend for shorter aircraft turnaround times, the airport said. The new programme has already dealt with 100% of the handling needs of low-cost airlines and serves 25% of international traffic. It is available at the request of carriers.
“We have changed the approach to the cross-functionality of the teams involved in ground handling of aircraft and the use of infrastructure. The launch of the Mobile Brigades project will reduce the turnaround time for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from 60 to 25-35 minutes and from 120 to 70-80 minutes, respectively,” said Pavel Kushnirenko, director of ground handling at Northern Capital Gateway, which holds the Pulkovo concession.
Each "mobile brigade" will have 20 specialists. A special training programme and motivation system have been developed for the teams, according to the airports.
Image: Pulkovo Airport
