The 6th edition of Portugal Air Summit, the biggest ever and one of the largest events in Europe, took place from the 12th to the 15th of October at the Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome.

The venue gathered the main national and international aeronautical community agents of civil and commercial aviation, including military and medical emergency aviation, with the presence of several personalities and players in the sector, namely airlines, aviation schools, aeronautical authorities, air control, aeronautical infrastructures management, among other companies and organizations.

In addition to the institutional presences, the event is a must for aviation fans, making it possible to feel the true spirit and passion for aviation, all concentrated in one place.

Groundforce Portugal was invited to be present as the leading national ground handling company. In its debut at this important event, Groundforce had the honor of participating as a speaker at one of the conferences, sharing its experience and perspective on the topic of operational disruption, a common denominator among conference participants.

As a major example of large-scale disruption, it was mentioned the sudden suspension of the operation at the beginning of the pandemic, which posed unique challenges to the entire industry. The panel also brought to the discussion the knowledge acquired in practice of what constitutes dynamic assistance to a large volume of passengers and a diversity of airlines, supported by well-defined processes and procedures, which nevertheless require great technical and human skills in day-to-day activity.

Another highlight of Groundforce's presence was the assistance to SATA Azores Airlines flight S4 9000, operated on A320 equipment, an unprecedented move up until then in the entire region. The landing and departure of a plane this category has gone down in the history the aerodrome, SATA and Airbus itself. The assistance provided by Groundforce Portugal to its customer SATA ensured all aspects of security and quality of service required at this location as well.

This event was also an excellent opportunity to present Groundforce´s training offer as  IATA accredited school and also to attract young people to this business,  guaranteeing the future of aviation.