Worldwide airport activity is back to near pre-pandemic levels, evidenced by new analysis of ground support vehicles.

Targa Telematics data shows the utilisation rate of ground support vehicles has increased to reach 81% of pre-pandemic levels so far this year

An examination of telematics data spanning a large number of airports shows the level of activity in the first eight months of 2022 is at 81% of the levels observed during the same period in 2019.

The research was carried out by Targa Telematics, a leading global player in airport telematics amongst other fleet segments, which says the data supports a very positive trend line back to historic levels of activity. Activity this year particularly peaked in the months of April, May and June, when usage reached levels of 92%, 95% and 91% respectively of those seen in 2019.

Nicola de Mattia, CEO at Targa Telematics, commented: “We are delighted to report that airport activity, both in Europe and globally, is slowly starting to recover from the effects of the pandemic, the consequences of which severely impacted the whole transportation industry. As a leading international telematics provider, our technology has proven successful at improving the efficiency of airport services and, in turn, helping operators to manage this increase in activity.”

Targa Telematics manages more than two million connected and distributed assets, including vehicles operating within airports across the world. Its Ground Handling technology enables airport stakeholders to monitor and reduce operational costs, increase safety and security of people and assets, meet airport regulations, and ensure efficient ground handling activity.

In Europe, the company works with major airports spanning some 20+ locations and including Gatwick, Heathrow, Bristol, Edinburgh, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Paris, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Valencia and Milan. Targa also collaborates globally with airports in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Boston, amongst many others.

Targa Telematics will also showcase latest developments in telematics for ground support vehicles at the 2022 GSE Expo Europe in Paris. It will host three roundtables, addressing key aspects of GSE management and digitalisation. The business will also cover fleet optimisation, telematics for electric GSE and GSE pooling for airports.