New Chitose Airport has returned to its pre-COVID bustle, but now it is facing a big crisis. In fact, there is a shortage of workers for important jobs. We walk under the huge planes and see them off as they take off! But then... "This is the baggage handling area for international flights..." High school students and their parents from Sapporo and the towns around the airport are listening intently to an explanation at the baggage handling area, "behind the scenes at New Chitose Airport." This "tour" was planned by the airport company and industry groups to help them learn about work at the airport. Rintaro Sohara, Executive Director of the Airport Ground Handling Association "As expected, the awareness of the job of ground handling is lower than we thought..." Ground handling is work done on the ground at the airport. Now, we will "take another look" at the current state of "ground handling," which is facing a serious labor shortage! New Chitose Airport is crowded with many tourists on holidays. It has returned to its pre-COVID appearance. "Demand for aircraft is increasing, and it is a little higher than before COVID-19," said Kyosuke Isshiki, assistant manager of the Hokkaido Airport Ground Handling Department. "The demand for aircraft is increasing, and it is a little higher than before COVID-19." In order to allow more aircraft to take off and land, the airport cannot function without securing more ground handling personnel. Rintaro Sohara, executive director of the Airport Ground Handling Association: "For foreign airlines to come, we need a certain number of (ground handling) personnel. Securing personnel is a major issue." GraphThis year, 24.01 million foreign tourists came to Japan by August. If we continue at this pace, it will exceed the 31.88 million people per year before COVID-19, and is likely to be the highest number ever. However, at New Chitose Airport, the shortage of ground handling personnel is affecting the airport's ability to handle new routes and increased flight numbers from foreign airlines. To solve this problem, a "job tour" for high school students was planned. The high school students observed the work around the plane just before takeoff. They also took a test ride on the towing car that pushes the plane onto the taxiway. Participant: "I thought it was really skilled that the driver brought the wheels all the way to the line. It was a lot of fun!" There are many different types of jobs under the term "ground handling." Ramp handling involves guiding planes and loading luggage. Operations involves checking flight routes and managing the weight balance of cargo. Passenger handling involves dealing with passengers at the airport counter. The high school students who visited each site... Participant: "I was able to see the behind-the-scenes work, and it made me interested in the airport and the aviation industry." Participant: "Hearing the stories of current employees broadened my horizons, and I want to find out more about this profession myself." When air travel demand fell due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many ground handling staff left their jobs. In order to secure human resources again, the Airport Ground Handling Association was established last year by businesses. In addition to PR activities such as tours, they have also begun working to improve the working conditions of ground handling staff. Sohara Rintaro, Executive Director, Airport Ground Handling Association "First of all, we need to improve working conditions. We will increase the commission fees we receive from airlines while increasing the return to employees." "We are seeing an increase in women with childcare responsibilities, so we are creating an environment where they can work long term and play an active role through various measures." ■Measures to resolve labor shortages in ground operations and improve work efficiency... JAL and ANA mutually recognize qualifications, self-driving and remote control operation of work vehicles, improved working conditions... Average annual salary of ground handlers is about 4.34 million yen (up 20% from the previous year) Updated Wednesday, October 23, 2024 17:43 #Hokkaido #News #HBC ◆Please subscribe to the HBC News channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCTp