Airport Ground Equipment Key Terms

Familiarize yourself with airport ground equipment key terms to make the right choice for your business

By Brenda Lee, Writer/Editor Beeline Editing Services

Knowing airport ground equipment key terms can help you tackle the long checklist of things that need to be done to an aircraft between flights. Airport ground equipment is used in a majority of aircraft-servicing applications. Familiarize yourself with a few airport ground equipment key terms to get started on what could be the most important aspect of flight handling and aircraft maintenance.

De-icing truck

A de-icing truck carries the equipment and de-icing fluid and also handles the actual de-icing of aircraft that have snow, ice or slush buildup. De-icing is conducted as a safety precaution before takeoff in wintry conditions.
Try: Learn about de-icing trucks and see some available de-icing units at Omega Aviation.

Catering lift

A catering lift is designed to rise to the height of aircraft doors to load and unload supplies such as food, drinks and ice for the crew and passengers of the aircraft. Specific catering lifts are required to service different sizes of passenger planes.
Try: See pictures of and read the different specs on a variety of catering lifts for both narrow- and wide-body aircraft at Tesco Equipment.

Ground power units

Ground power units, also known as aircraft ground generators, are devices that are used on the ground at airports to supply electric power to aircraft that don't have their own auxiliary power units (APUs). They are also sometimes used for aircraft that do have their own APUs to save fuel while on the ground.
Try: Read about a variety of ground power units at Houston Aircraft.

Lavatory service truck

Lavatory service trucks empty the waste stored in an aircraft's holding tank. After emptying, the tank is refilled with a mixture of water and a concentrated disinfectant, commonly called blue juice. Some airports have smaller lavatory carts that are pulled by tug rather than self-contained trucks.
Try: Learn about lavatory service trucks at Access Air Systems.

Towbar

The towbar is a steel or aluminum bar used to reposition an aircraft by either towing or pushing it. Some towbars are made to be used with a variety of aircraft, others are unique to a particular type or model of aircraft.
Try: Airport International has more information about the different types and sizes of towbars and their uses.

Barricades

Nearly all airports keep barricades on hand for times when boundaries are needed on the runways and other areas, typically for marking construction. Barricades come in sizes and shapes to fit every need.
Try: Check out the variety of runway and taxiway barricades available at Trans Supply.