يعبر الركاب ساحات المطارات دون انتباه، وكأنها مساحات عادية، لكن الحقيقة أنها من أكثر الأماكن حساسية في عالم الطيران، حيث تقع الحوادث الأقل صخباً والأشد إزعاجاً.
هذه المساحة المحدودة، المخصصة أساساً لحركة الطائرات على الأرض، تتحرّك فيها عشرات العربات بين تموين ونقل أمتعة وشاحنات وقود وسلالم متحركة وباصات ركاب ومعدات صيانة، ورغم دقة الأنظمة واللوائح إلا أن الحوادث الأرضية تتكرر، فتضيع معها أوقات ثمينة وأموال باهظة.
قبل أيام، كنت عائداً من الطائف إلى الرياض، وبعد الهبوط وأثناء توجه الطائرة إلى البوابة توقفت فجأة بقوة أربكت الركاب، من النافذة رأيت باصاً يقترب بشكل غير نظامي أمام الطائرة عند أحد التقاطعات، وفي مثل هذه الحالة يقوم قائد الطائرة بتدوين رقم المركبة الواضح على جوانبها الأربع ويبلّغ عنه ليتم اتخاذ الإجراءات معه.
مثل هذه المواقف تحدث يومياً في مطارات العالم، شاحنة تصطدم ببدن طائرة، جناح يحتك بذيل أخرى، جسر ركاب يرتطم بطائرة، أو مركبة خدمات تعبر الطريق دون تنسيق، كل حادثة من هذا النوع تربك جداول الرحلات وتضاعف خسائر الشركات وتضيع أوقات الركاب.
للحد من هذه المخاطر، أطلقت إدارة سلامة الطيران عام 2003م برنامج الوقاية من حوادث الساحة (GAP) (ground accident prevention) الذي فرض سياسات تدريب صارمة لتكريس ثقافة السلامة وتقليص الأخطاء.
الأرقام تشير إلى أنه بين عامي 2019 و2023 تم تسجيل 9,073 حادثة أرضية، منها 55 خطيرة، بينما تراجع المعدل في 2023 إلى 1.7 حادثة خطيرة لكل مليون حركة، وتبيّن الإحصاءات أن معدات الخدمات الأرضية مسؤولة عن 61% من الأضرار، نتيجة أعطال ميكانيكية أو ضغط الوقت أو سوء الأحوال الجوية أو ضعف التواصل أو فهم خاطئ للعلامات، «ولا يُستبعد أن يكون استخدام الجوال من بين الأسباب».
الخسائر لا يُستهان بها، حيث تُكلف شركات الطيران ما يقارب 10 مليارات دولار سنوياً، لهذا حُددت السرعة القصوى في المسارات الأرضية الخاصة بالمركبات لتكون 30 كيلومتراً في الساعة أو أقل، وتنخفض إلى 15 كلم/ساعة في المناطق الأخرى، بينما تقترب من سرعة المشي قرب الطائرات.
بعض الحوادث تكون مأساوية، مثل ابتلاع محرك الطائرة لشخص على الأرض، وهي الحادثة التي تكررت مرتين في الأشهر الأخيرة، ورغم تطوّر التكنولوجيا وتوظيف أنظمة أرضية ذكية، تبقى هذه الوقائع دليلاً على أن الهفوات الصغيرة في عالم الطيران ثمنها فادح، وأن بعض الخسائر أصعب من أن يغطيها أي تأمين أو تعويض مالي.
ساحات المطارات التي نمر بها سريعاً دون انتباه هي في الحقيقة مسرح صامت لمخاطر يومية كثيرة، تُثبت أن الأرض أيضاً تكتب قصص الطيران وليست السماء وحدها.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
Passengers traverse airport grounds without attention, as if they are ordinary spaces, but the truth is that they are among the most sensitive areas in the aviation world, where the least noisy and most disturbing incidents occur.
This limited space, primarily designated for aircraft movement on the ground, sees dozens of vehicles moving around for refueling, baggage transport, fuel trucks, escalators, passenger buses, and maintenance equipment. Despite the precision of the systems and regulations, ground incidents continue to occur, wasting precious time and incurring hefty costs.
A few days ago, I was returning from Taif to Riyadh, and after landing, while the aircraft was taxiing to the gate, it suddenly stopped abruptly, confusing the passengers. From the window, I saw a bus approaching in an irregular manner in front of the aircraft at one of the intersections. In such cases, the pilot notes the clearly visible vehicle number on its four sides and reports it for appropriate action to be taken.
Such situations happen daily at airports around the world: a truck collides with the fuselage of an aircraft, a wing brushes against the tail of another, a passenger bridge strikes an airplane, or a service vehicle crosses the road without coordination. Each incident of this kind disrupts flight schedules, multiplies company losses, and wastes passengers' time.
To mitigate these risks, the Aviation Safety Administration launched the Ground Accident Prevention (GAP) program in 2003, which enforced strict training policies to instill a safety culture and reduce errors.
Statistics indicate that between 2019 and 2023, 9,073 ground incidents were recorded, including 55 serious ones, while the rate in 2023 dropped to 1.7 serious incidents per million movements. The statistics reveal that ground service equipment is responsible for 61% of the damages, due to mechanical failures, time pressure, adverse weather conditions, poor communication, or misunderstanding of signs, "and the use of mobile phones cannot be ruled out as one of the causes."
The losses are significant, costing airlines nearly $10 billion annually. Therefore, the maximum speed on ground routes for vehicles has been set at 30 kilometers per hour or less, decreasing to 15 km/h in other areas, while it approaches walking speed near aircraft.
Some incidents are tragic, such as an aircraft engine ingesting a person on the ground, an incident that has occurred twice in recent months. Despite advancements in technology and the deployment of smart ground systems, these occurrences serve as evidence that small oversights in the aviation world come at a heavy price, and some losses are too great to be covered by any insurance or financial compensation.
The airport grounds that we pass through quickly and without attention are, in fact, a silent stage for many daily dangers, proving that the ground also writes the stories of aviation, not just the sky.
This limited space, primarily designated for aircraft movement on the ground, sees dozens of vehicles moving around for refueling, baggage transport, fuel trucks, escalators, passenger buses, and maintenance equipment. Despite the precision of the systems and regulations, ground incidents continue to occur, wasting precious time and incurring hefty costs.
A few days ago, I was returning from Taif to Riyadh, and after landing, while the aircraft was taxiing to the gate, it suddenly stopped abruptly, confusing the passengers. From the window, I saw a bus approaching in an irregular manner in front of the aircraft at one of the intersections. In such cases, the pilot notes the clearly visible vehicle number on its four sides and reports it for appropriate action to be taken.
Such situations happen daily at airports around the world: a truck collides with the fuselage of an aircraft, a wing brushes against the tail of another, a passenger bridge strikes an airplane, or a service vehicle crosses the road without coordination. Each incident of this kind disrupts flight schedules, multiplies company losses, and wastes passengers' time.
To mitigate these risks, the Aviation Safety Administration launched the Ground Accident Prevention (GAP) program in 2003, which enforced strict training policies to instill a safety culture and reduce errors.
Statistics indicate that between 2019 and 2023, 9,073 ground incidents were recorded, including 55 serious ones, while the rate in 2023 dropped to 1.7 serious incidents per million movements. The statistics reveal that ground service equipment is responsible for 61% of the damages, due to mechanical failures, time pressure, adverse weather conditions, poor communication, or misunderstanding of signs, "and the use of mobile phones cannot be ruled out as one of the causes."
The losses are significant, costing airlines nearly $10 billion annually. Therefore, the maximum speed on ground routes for vehicles has been set at 30 kilometers per hour or less, decreasing to 15 km/h in other areas, while it approaches walking speed near aircraft.
Some incidents are tragic, such as an aircraft engine ingesting a person on the ground, an incident that has occurred twice in recent months. Despite advancements in technology and the deployment of smart ground systems, these occurrences serve as evidence that small oversights in the aviation world come at a heavy price, and some losses are too great to be covered by any insurance or financial compensation.
The airport grounds that we pass through quickly and without attention are, in fact, a silent stage for many daily dangers, proving that the ground also writes the stories of aviation, not just the sky.
