Designing Tomorrow’s Airport – Cargo Times

As global demand for air cargo continues to grow, airport operators and ground handling providers are under pressure to modernize aging infrastructure while meeting ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. At the ASA Global Ground Handling Leadership Forum in Copenhagen, leaders from dnata, Menzies Aviation, SATS and TCR shared their views on how airports are evolving to meet the demands of sustainability, human-centred design and technological innovation.

Endurance without interruption

Modernizing airport infrastructure for sustainability is not just a matter of installing new technology. Noor Salman, vice president of commercial shipping support at dnata, highlighted the complexity of retrofitting decades-old facilities to accommodate electric fleets and renewable energy. “When you compare what you need to do to modernize and enable an electric fleet or renewables, especially given the current operating model, there’s going to be a lot of confusion,” she said.

Salman recommended a phased approach, focusing on “quick wins” such as manual mobility, digitization, paperless, and system modernization, while prioritizing employee workflow and safety. She pointed to Dnata’s joint venture in Azerbaijan, where charging stations are designed with environmental, social and governance considerations in mind, and employee well-being is at the forefront. “You put yourself in people’s shoes, and you go on that journey with them. And that’s actually designing the charging station,” she explained.

This human-centred approach is echoed by John Geddes, director of governance and sustainability at Menzies Aviation. “Sometimes we forget to think about them first when designing things or processes,” he said.

TCR’s Peter Gripdonk added an operational lens, noting that electrics are making rapid progress but infrastructure remains a major hurdle. “More than half of our new fleet acquisitions are already electric. Over the life of the GSE, we expect to phase out diesel equipment to replace the acquisition of electric vehicles,” he said.

Local ESG strategies

Céline Hourcade, Global Head of ESG at SATS, highlighted the importance of adapting airport infrastructure to climate realities. “We operate in 27 countries … so we’re taking climate change scenarios into account,” she said. “The challenge is to adapt the infrastructure and the way we work.”

Hourcade explained SATS’ approach to linking group-level ESG targets – such as a 50 percent reduction in Area 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 – with regional implementation plans that take into account regulatory, cultural and incentive differences. “We need common standards and guidelines and share best practices,” she said. “Together, we rise – and that applies to industry as well.”

Salman explained this principle through Dubai’s initiative to introduce biofuel blends in the airport fleet, achieved through collaboration between the airport, ground service equipment teams, original equipment manufacturers and national oil companies. “It’s never been easy… it’s all about collaboration, passion and motivation to really want to make a difference and leave a legacy,” she said.

Aligning ESG aspirations with operational realities requires strategic partnerships and long-term planning, added Matt Thomas, senior director of Business Europe at Menzies Aviation. “Everybody talks about ESG ideas, but there’s still a real proportion of tactical buying,” he said. “We need to shift from price-centric decisions to long-term strategic cooperation.”

Balancing technology and human skills

Technological innovation promises to revitalize airport operations, but human oversight is still essential. Electricity and artificial intelligence are changing mountain environments, while hydrogen-powered equipment faces infrastructure hurdles, Gripdonk said. “Electrification, lithium and high volume batteries will change the game a lot. Hydrogen will come, but the infrastructure is the limiting factor,” he said.

Hourcade highlighted the potential of AI to improve workforce efficiency, safety, training and retention. “AI can help us achieve greater efficiency, improve safety, improve training, and attract and retain our employees,” she said, citing tools such as virtual reality training and exoskeletons.

Geddes emphasized that people remain central to the operation. “Virtual reality training is great, but if you put someone in the workplace after a couple of hours of computer-based training, they’re going to fall out,” he said.

Salman talked about dnata’s data literacy initiative, which trained 240 employees through a combination of electronic platforms and in-person workshops. “We’ve created characters like Data Ninja or Data Samurai … it’s about raising minimum standards and being creative and fun across age groups,” she said.

Practical facts

Participants recognized that ESG aspirations must be met with practical and geopolitical challenges. Hourcade discussed the potential impact of changes in US policy, emphasizing the importance of a long-term strategic focus. “Before, we all agreed to say: be prepared, be climate resilient, be smarter and use renewable energy, be diverse and inclusive… It made good business sense, so we have to continue that,” she said.

Salman stressed on data-driven sustainability. She said: “Climate change is happening. It affects wildlife, biodiversity, communities and businesses. Companies that combine environmental, social and governance challenges will reflect positively on their bottom line.”

Gripdonk highlighted the practical limitations of the infrastructure and the gradual transition from older diesel equipment. “Where non-electrical GSE is currently being used, it will often be deployed in areas with slow electrification rates. This is a gradual process, not a sudden change,” he concluded.