Ground Support Worldwide recently surveyed members of the industry to gauge their approach to GSE maintenance, inquire about current challenges and the average age of GSE fleets, as well as gather input on anticipated changes coming to this segment of the market.
More than three-fourths of those surveyed perform a portion of their GSE maintenance in-house.
Approximately one-third of the respondents said they performed all GSE maintenance themselves. Another 42 percent said the majority of their GSE maintenance is done in-house, while 14 percent said half of their GSE maintenance tasks are done in-house and half is outsourced.
Just 12 percent of all survey respondents said they rely heavily on outsourced GSE maintenance.
With GSE maintenance responsibilities being predominantly addressed by the company who owns the equipment, there are associated challenges and budget strains.
The greatest challenges reported by survey respondents are sourcing GSE parts and part availability, finding and retraining staff, training and staying current with new technologies, and the cost of GSE parts.
The cost of GSE parts, sourcing parts and the availability of parts put the greatest strain on GSE maintenance budgets, according to those surveyed. The cost of personnel turnover also takes a toll on budgets as does the cost of tools and equipment.
While these costs must be managed, 60 percent of survey respondents indicated 2024 maintenance budgets were expected to be higher than in 2023, while another 30 percent reported their budgets were likely to remain the same as last year.
The complete copy of the 2024 Ground Support Worldwide GSE Maintenance Report offers an overview of GSE maintenance trends, current GSE fleet compositions, staffing and budgeting trends and technology being deployed to aid GSE maintenance tasks. The full report be accessed at www.AviationPros.com/55042098
