Airplane ground handling — the technology of aircraft ground servicing by an apron representative

An aircraft is prepared for departure after landing by a staff of 26–35 (!) people, not including passenger terminal employees, mechanics, pilots, or flight attendants.

Meet the team on the apron: the ramp agent, supervisor, stair operator, tug driver, fueler, water loader, lavatory service, baggage crew (3 loaders), catering crew (2 people), 1–2 cleaning crews (7–15 people), equipment team (4 people), wing walker, border officer for international flights, and 2 airport security employees.

Turnaround servicing of an aircraft under the direction of the ramp agent runs like a waltz: Meeting the aircraft as it taxis to its stand. Chocking the wheels after parking brake is set. Connecting the grounding cable (not practiced in Europe). Connecting GPU (Ground Power Unit) and air conditioning if needed.

• Opening the doors (flight attendants’ duty) and positioning the stairs (supervisor’s duty).
• Opening the baggage holds and bringing up the cargo truck.
• Establishing communication with the pilots, clarifying if they or the flight attendants have reported any issues (if so, technicians are called through the dispatcher).
• Initial visual inspection of the aircraft.
• Positioning a ladder to the wing or fuselage for refueling. Requesting fuel from the dispatcher, setting the required volume (in liters on the fuel truck, in kilograms on the aircraft), starting automatic fueling, bringing up the fuel truck and chocking it. The fueler then independently connects the hose and fueling begins. If fueling is preliminary (before pilots arrive), a calculated volume is added based on distance. For example, narrow-body aircraft like Boeing 737/Airbus A320 are fueled with about 9,000 kg for Moscow–St. Petersburg or 15,000 kg for Moscow–Novosibirsk. Once pilots provide data (e.g., due to a changed flight plan to avoid storms), top-up fueling may be required. Fully refueling empty tanks with 24.5-ton capacity takes about 30 minutes. At first, up to 1,000 kg per minute can be pumped, but after the center tank fills, the rate slows due to wing tank design (baffle openings controlling fuel flow). Average fueling speed is 816 kg per minute, or 13 kg per second.
• Boarding the aircraft after passengers disembark. Again checking with flight attendants for issues. If none, confirming that ramp staff can be called through the supervisor. Receiving the aircraft’s Technical Logbook (TLB) and formally accepting responsibility. From this moment until handover to the next crew, the ramp agent is responsible for the aircraft.
• Checking onboard fluids via the panel: water (should be at least 75% full) and waste (should be no more than 25%). If needed, requesting the appropriate service.
• Going down to bring in the water truck (rear left) and/or lavatory service truck (rear right) to remove waste and add chemicals, with chocking. If parked for a long stay, water is drained; otherwise, topped up to 250 liters.
• Going into the refueling truck, filling out fueling paperwork (flight, time, date), obtaining certificate of density and type of fuel (usually TS-1). At the end, liters × density = kilograms; this is written out in words. Three signed copies are made: two for the fueler, one for the ramp agent.
• Closing the fueling panel, removing chocks, sending away the fuel truck and ladder.
• Returning to the aircraft, handing the fueling document to the pilots (they record it in the TLB), receiving a signed copy.
• Verifying onboard cleaning and catering load. If connected to a jet bridge, declaring readiness for passenger boarding. If not, then 10 minutes before fueling ends (first bus approaches by then).
• Giving pilots a thumbs-up to begin boarding.
• Reporting boarding start to dispatcher, positioning tug under the wing if pushback is required (jet bridge or certain stands).
• Receiving the list of baggage tags of late passengers for removal five minutes before boarding ends. Their bags are quickly removed from the hold. If 10+ passengers are still missing at the end of boarding, the boarding is extended (common with transfer delays).
• After boarding ends: disconnecting GPU and air conditioning, closing baggage holds, removing ground equipment. Connecting headset to Ground Panel outside, talking with pilots, inserting the tow pin (prevents gear retraction), signing tug log, briefing wing walker.
• Flight attendants close doors, supervisor removes stairs.
• Final visual inspection. If no issues, wing walker calls in tug. Chocks removed, grounding cable stowed.
• Report to pilots: all hatches closed, no damage found, aircraft ready for pushback. Pilots release parking brake.
• Wishing crew a good flight, receiving good wishes in return. Frequently joking exchanges follow: if ramp agent and pilot are of opposite gender, there can be humorous wishes of “a good husband/wife,” love confessions, even chocolates or flowers, perhaps swapping contacts (with the ramp agent free to choose between captain or first officer).
• Walking the “iron dog” (towbar with headphones for pilot comms) to the engine start point. Ramp agent walks with headset cord connected. If pushed forward, pilots may start one engine during pushback; if not, they wait until tow completed.
• Ending pushback: disconnecting headset and tow pin, stowing equipment, sending tug away.
• Pilots start engines (Boeing/Airbus: #2 then #1; Embraer and others: #1 then #2).
• Ramp agent waves goodbye with the tow pin (with the red “Remove Before Flight” ribbon). Aircraft taxis on its own (only now does it appear on dispatcher’s radar).
• Time for tea. Or, more often, running to the next plane (“the aircraft just landed on stand 75, departure at 3:20, time’s now 3:15, please get it ready, thanks”). Minimum turnaround without refueling is 25 minutes. Ice, wind, –25°C in winter on the apron (no heating), or sweltering heat and bugs in summer, are part of the job. With long turnarounds (over 3 hours), the pace is more relaxed, though the sequence remains the same.

Remember, ground handling is no less important than the flying itself or coffee service — for both comfort and safety. Before pilots even touch the yoke or sidestick, your flying “dog” will have been fed, had its paws washed, cleaned up after, petted kindly, and lovingly walked to the runway on a leash.

Have a pleasant flight!