Airport Ground Handling Systems Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Market Overview

The Airport Ground Handling Systems Market was valued at USD 8.64 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 14.10 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of about 8.8% during the forecast period, 2021 - 2026.

The aviation sector has been affected greatly due to the slump in the demand among travelers and the travel restrictions imposed by many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the aircraft movements decreased, the demand for airport ground handling services was affected significantly, thereby affecting the market of airport ground handling systems in 2020.

However, as the air travel is slowly recovering to return to pre-COVID levels in the coming future, the deliveries of new aircraft as well as plans of the airlines to introduce new routes and increase flight movements are expected to increase the aircraft movements, which is anticipated to drive the growth of airport ground handling systems market during the forecast period.

The construction of new airports and expansion of existing airports as well as privatization of airports is expected to drive the growth of the airport ground handling systems market during the forecast period.

The current plans of airports to decrease their carbon footprint is generating demand for integration of advanced technologies like electric aircraft tugs, automation systems, and augmented reality (AR) glasses for ramp handling operations is expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the coming years.

Scope of the Report

The aircraft ground handling systems include equipment that is used to offer services to an aircraft while it is on the ground and parked at a terminal gate of an airport. The market is segmented based on type into aircraft handling, passenger handling, and cargo and baggage handling. The report also covers the market size and forecasts for the market in major countries across different regions. The market sizing and forecasts have been provided in value (USD billion). The market doesn’t include military cargo and baggage handling equipment.

Report scope can be customized per your requirements. Click here.

Key Market Trends

Cargo and Baggage Handling Segment Accounted for a Major Revenue Share in 2020

The cargo and baggage handling segment currently dominates the market and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The segment includes cargo pallets, cargo and baggage loaders & containers, trolleys, transporters, conveyor belt loaders, and other cargo and baggage transportation systems. The ground handling companies are expanding their cargo services in airports globally, which is generating demand for the procurement of advanced cargo handling equipment. In this regard, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), the largest air cargo handler announced that the company in collaboration with Descartes Systems introduced cargo ULD tracking capability. Under the initiative, they deployed Descartes Core Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) readers to provide enhanced real-time shipment visibility and cost-efficient asset management solutions to the airlines. In addition to this, the ground handling companies are manufacturing advanced cargo handling systems to efficiently handle packages from the aircraft. For instance, in August 2020, John Bean Technologies Corp. (JBT) introduced JBT Cargo Chute, a solution for unloading packages from the passenger cabins. The chute can be attached to existing or new passenger steps, which will allow the packages to slide safely in a controlled manner thereby eliminating the need to either carry the goods while walking down or have additional operators on the steps to pass the goods to each other. Such developments are anticipated to accelerate the growth of the segment in the coming years.

To understand key trends, Download Sample Report