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1 One of the most congested areas at any commercial service airport is the apron area adjacent to terminal facilities. Aircraft taxi to and from the gates while ground service equipment (GSE) used for aircraft servicing, catering, fueling, deicing, and baggage loading and unloading services operates in close proximity. Heightened awareness and focused coordination and communication are required to maintain safety among ramp workers, aircraft operations, ground vehicle operations, and in some cases, passengers. At present, apron operations at airports in the United States are not typically controlled by the airport operator. Instead, airlines or other ground handlers direct operations in these busy areas. The result is that there are no consistent apron management and control standards across the U.S. aviation system. There is also no comprehensive system-wide database to track accident and incident statistics to quantitatively assess the safety of operations within these dynamic areas. Addition- ally, the data that are available are often described using terms and definitions that differ from airport to airport, making it extremely difficult to interpret system-wide trends. Given the current situation regarding ramp safety in the United States, the essential objective of ACRP Project 04-07 was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety benefits of apron management and control programs in countries that regu- late apron operations under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 14 and compare them with apron management and control programs in the United States, which are not currently regulated. In the context of this work effort, apron management and control programs are defined as regulations, policies, and systems designed to provide a safe and efficient environment in the ground area surrounding the terminal where aircraft, ground support, and servicing equipment and personnel operate simultane- ously and in conjunction with each other. Issues that can be addressed by apron management practices include: ⢠Injuries to airline and airport personnel; ⢠Injuries to airline passengers and crew; ⢠Cost of damage to equipment, such as aircraft and GSE; ⢠Operational impacts due to accidents and incidents, ranging from operational delays to the costs of removing equipment from service for repair; ⢠Insurance considerations; and, ⢠Operational efficiency in and around the apron environ- ment (i.e., improving aircraft turnaround time at the gate). The consequences of an apron accident or incident can be substantial. They can be measured not only in terms of per- sonal injury and equipment damage but also in operational impacts due to equipment being taken out of service. This makes apron management an issue of interest to various sec- tors of the industry, and significant benefits can be achieved if there is a reduction in incidents/accidents. This study attempts to compile apron safety statistics using a common set of data and consistent definitions where pos- sible. Reviewing this data as available in the context of quali- tative information collected from U.S. and non-U.S. airports will facilitate an assessment of the apparent effectiveness of apron management programs. The research efforts will also project the applicability of apron management programs to U.S. airports, recognizing the common operational and own- ership differences between U.S. and non-U.S. airports. S e c t i o n 1 Introduction
