The benefits of task and cognitive workload support for operators in ground handling

The scope of the present work is to report an action research project applied to the relationship of task and cognitive workload support on one of the most important aspects of an airport: ground handling. At the beginning of the project workload management was not in the scope of work but as the project progressed and preliminary results and feedback were gained the researcher came to realize that some form of workload management support was also achieved as a by-product. The present paper is an attempt to account for what was achieved and how. Safe and efficient ground handling during departure and arrival of an aircraft requires coordinated responsibilities amongst qualified operators collaborating together simultaneously in a time constrained environment. The context is one of medium-high workload due to the number of activities covered in a short time, such as: passenger, baggage and cargo handling, aircraft loading, the provision and use of ground support equipment, etc. This paper presents the introduction of a tool aimed at performance monitoring and task support and discusses how the use of it can play a key role in the adequate management of workload by operators in Ground Handling. The core elements of the tool under analysis are electronic checklist and digitized shift handover, and it aims at highlighting how they have impacted performance, reducing operational and human related issues.