Field Services

Swissport enhances airport safety with Samsara

With Samsara, Swissport North America revolutionized safety in the high-stakes aviation ground handling industry, reducing incidents by 60% and vehicle damage by 23% in 18 weeks.

Meet Swissport North America

16,000+ EMPLOYEES

62 AIRPORTS

93 LOCATIONS

The Challenge

Swissport needed a technology partner to strengthen their safety standards

As the global leader in aviation services and air cargo handling, safety is Swissport’s number one priority. They operate in one of the most challenging environments in transportation—the airport tarmac. Swissport provides essential ground handling, fueling, air cargo and airport hospitality services across 62 airports in the US and Canada. Their teams face challenging weather conditions, from polar vortex temperatures in the Midwest to 100-degree heat in the South, all while ensuring operations run safely and smoothly 24/7. “Operational excellence is at the heart of Swissport’s strategy. Punctuality and the highest standards of safety are essential to provide world-class service to our customers,” said Mike Byrom, Swissport’s Chief Operating Officer, North America and Canada.

Operating a large fleet of ground support equipment (GSE) in some of the most congested airports in North America, Swissport looked for a solution to proactively enhance their employees’ well-being and strengthen safety standards.

Our unwavering commitment to safety, quality, and innovation drives our robust safety management system and continuous improvement initiatives. Our partnership with Samsara has been instrumental in demonstrating how we’re leading our industry’s transformation to safeguard our airline and airport partners’ operations.

MIKE BYROM

Chief Operating Officer, North America and Canada

Solution

Enhanced safety and efficiency on the tarmac

Swissport partnered with Samsara to implement AI Dash Cams and Vehicle Gateways (VG) across their North American fleet. The rollout was rapid, installing over 1,600 dash cams and VGs for their closed-cab vehicles within five months of delivery. "We deployed Samsara for two purposes—safety and efficiency," said Byron. "First, we ensure our employees are safe by coaching behaviors to the highest standards with AI Dash Cams. Then, fleet data improves vehicle uptime and service frequency so we can work more efficiently."

Swissport secured dash cam buy-in by communicating that the cameras serve as a guardian for safety by providing extra eyes on the tarmac. Real-time, in-cab alerts provide immediate feedback on behaviors such as not wearing a seatbelt, distracted driving, or harsh braking, allowing for instant self-correction. This approach aligns with Swissport's iCare program, which focuses on ensuring employee safety and well-being.

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Results

Achieving a 60% reduction in incidents and a 23% decrease in vehicle damage

With Samsara, Swissport is setting a new standard for safety and efficiency in aviation ground handling. Using AI Dash Cams and vehicle data, Swissport has significantly improved safety procedures and enhanced operational performance.

In the first 18 weeks of having Samsara AI Dash Cams installed, Swissport saw a 60% reduction in incidents and a 23% reduction in vehicle damage. In the same way that the airline industry operates, AI Dash Cam video data supports incident investigations and safety improvements.

Samsara’s real-time visibility in the field also enables Swissport to allocate resources efficiently, especially when aircraft arrivals are delayed or early. This proactive management helps prevent incidents and vehicle and aircraft damage while enhancing on-time performance.

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