What is the primary function of airport ground handling services?

The primary function of airport ground handling services is to provide comprehensive support for aircraft before, during, and after flight operations. This encompasses a wide range of activities essential for the efficient and safe turnaround of an aircraft. Ground handling includes services such as baggage handling, refueling, boarding and deboarding passengers, cargo handling, cleaning the aircraft, and performing necessary pre-flight inspections.

These services ensure that the aircraft is properly prepared and maintained throughout its time on the ground, facilitating timely departures and arrivals. Ground handling crews play a crucial role in the overall airport operations by ensuring that the transition between air and ground transportation is seamless and efficient, which is vital for maintaining flight schedules and enhancing passenger experience.

Other choices, while important aspects of airport operations, do not specifically encapsulate the core responsibilities of ground handling services. For instance, managing air traffic control relates more to flight safety and management in the airspace rather than the ground support duties. Similarly, conducting airport security checks and coordinating passenger transfers are also critical functions but fall outside the primary duties associated with ground handling, which focus on the aircraft itself during its ground time.