Airside Services Market - Size, Share, Industry Trends, and Forecasts (2025-2032)

By Airport Class:

Based on airport class, market is segmented into Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D.

The Class A segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 45.2% in 2024.

• Class A airports are major international hubs handling the highest volume of passenger and cargo traffic, necessitating comprehensive and sophisticated airside services.
• These airports invest significantly in runway management, ground handling, apron services, and aircraft maintenance support to ensure seamless operations and minimal turnaround times.
• The segment benefits from the presence of advanced infrastructure, high aircraft movement frequency, and the need for continuous safety and efficiency enhancements.
• As per market analysis, large-scale airside service contracts and public-private partnerships contribute to the dominance of Class A airports in global service expenditure.
• With growing air traffic and global connectivity, Class A airports continue to prioritize automation and digital transformation in airside operations.

The Class B segment is anticipated to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period in the Airside Services market.

• Class B airspaces are in trend and are designed to improve aviation safety by reducing the risk of mid-air collisions in the airspace surrounding airports with high-density air traffic operations.
• They provide services to arriving and departing aircraft on the ground and in the immediate vicinity of the airport. 
• They also provides radar services to aircraft approaching and departing the airport, ensuring safe separation, and sequencing. 
• In Class B airspace, these services primarily involve Air Traffic Control (ATC), providing clearances and guidance to aircraft for operations within or through the airspace, ensuring separation and safety. 
• Thus, the surge in domestic flights fuels their market trend in class B airspace.

By Operations:

Based on Operations, the market is segmented into aircraft handling, passenger handling, and cargo handling.

The Passenger handling segment accounted for the largest revenue in the Airside Services Market Share in 2024.

• Passenger handling segment encompass all activities related to aircraft operations and passenger management within the airside area of an airport, including tasks like check-in, boarding, and baggage handling. 
• Encompasses the services provided to passengers from their arrival at the airport to their departure, including Check-in, boarding, baggage handling, gate services, customer services.
• Passenger handling staff aid passengers in checking in for their flights, issuing boarding passes, and providing pertinent flight information, streamlining the check-in process, and ensuring passengers are well-informed.
• Staff assist passengers with checking their luggage, ensuring proper tagging, and loading onto the aircraft, and aiding in retrieving luggage upon arrival, facilitating a smooth baggage claim process.
• Passenger handling personnel facilitate orderly boarding onto the aircraft, ensuring passenger seating and accommodating special needs or requests, contributing to an efficient boarding process.
• For instance, in July 2024, SATS Airport Services Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SATS Ltd, (SATS), the world’s largest provider of air cargo handling services and Asia’s pre-eminent provider of food solutions, SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) and Changi Airport Group (CAG), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to start a proof of concept (POC) on the use of autonomous buses to transport airport staff around Changi Airport’s airside. It will validate the self-driving capabilities of the autonomous bus to gain confidence of its operational and safety performance.
• Thus, the passenger handling segment accounts for the highest revenue share in the market.

The Cargo Handling segment is anticipated to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

• Cargo handling drives the market trend as it encompass the entire process of moving goods from airport storage to aircraft and vice versa, including loading, unloading, and related tasks like customs clearance and security checks.
• It focuses on the activities that take place on the airfield side of the airport, specifically related to aircraft operations and cargo handling.
• The key activities include preparing aircraft for cargo loading and unloading, transporting cargo between the cargo terminal and the aircraft, moving cargo and baggage around the airside using specialized vehicles and equipment. 
• The need for air freight is expected to increase due to factors like the rise of e-commerce and the need for efficient shipping, leading to a higher workload on airports and a need for enhanced cargo handling capabilities.
• For instance, in Feb 2025, Swissport International, the global leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling announced the growth of its air cargo handling business further in Australia, serving airline customers and freight forwarders in new air cargo centers in Melbourne and Sydney. A newly acquired facility in Auckland, New Zealand. The new locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland feature advanced temperature-controlled spaces, direct airside access, and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure safe and efficient operations. These capabilities empower our customers to deliver exceptional service quality across the supply chain.
• Thus, the cargo handling segment is driving the market and has potential future airside services market opportunities.

By Platform:

Based on platform, the market is segmented into hardware, software, and services.

The hardware segment accounted for the largest revenue in the Airside Services market share in 2024.

• Hardware segment refers to the equipment and systems used for aircraft operations and maintenance in the airside area of an airport, including runways, taxiways, and aprons. 
• This encompasses the physical equipment and infrastructure essential for these operations, such as runway and taxiway lighting, aerodrome signage, aircraft parking and docking equipment, ground support equipment such as baggage loaders, tow tractors, and fuel trucks, communication systems, and navigation systems.
• It utilizes baggage handling equipment which are automated systems used for sorting, loading, and unloading baggage. 
• Smart visual docking systems optimizes gate capacity and efficiency and provides integration with advanced surface movement guidance systems and other airside systems resulting in precise guidance for safer docking.
• In March 2025, GMR Airports Limited-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced the launch of Unified Total Airside Management (UTAM), a revolutionary system designed to make airside operations safer, more efficient, and smoother for everyone involved. UTAM is a state-of-the-art system that integrates real-time data from multiple sources across the airport, enabling operators to monitor aircraft movements, ground service equipment (GSE), and vehicle activity with unmatched precision.
• Thus, this analysis shows the increased use of hardware segment in the airside operations is driving the market.

The services platform is projected to be the fastest growing during the forecast period.

• The services segment is expected to be the fastest-growing due to the increasing need for ramp processing services, aircraft unloading, pushback, loading planning, shunting, surface maintenance, and airport transportation.
• Airside services encompass all activities related to aircraft operations on the airport side, and service equipment includes the tools and vehicles used to support these operations, such as tugs, fuel trucks, and baggage carts. 
• Aircraft handling services includes tasks like pushing aircraft back from the gate, towing, fueling, and providing ground power.
• Passenger Handling services involves passenger boarding and disembarkation, baggage handling, and ensuring a smooth transfer between the aircraft and the terminal.
• Its other functions include marshalling, parking, cooling/heating, ramp to flight deck communication, ensuring safe loading and unloading, providing ground support such as pushback vehicles, and air starter units.
• For instance, in October 2023, Transoft Solutions announced a new addition to their aviation product portfolio that bridges the gap between airside planning and operations. AeroCENTRAL, the company’s first SaaS solution for the aviation industry, allows users to share key airside infrastructural and operational information across teams and departments, through a single, centralized system. The two applications on the AeroCENTRAL platform that are available at launch are Stand Guide and Specifications. These applications allow airports, airlines, ground service providers and their partners to publish, distribute, and view aircraft parking stand configurations, equipment locations, turnaround procedures, and aircraft technical specifications supporting safer operations and more efficient decision making.
• Thus, the requirement for these services in the aviation industry is driving the airside services market trend.

By End-Use:

Based on end-use, the market is segmented into Commercial and Military sector.

The commercial sector accounted for the largest revenue share and is anticipated to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period in the Airside Services Market.

• The commercial aviation sector, encompassing passenger and cargo transportation, is the largest and fastest-growing segment in the market. 
• Increased air travel volume, both for leisure and business, is a major driver of the airline services market.
• The growth of air freight, including the movement of essential goods and emergency medical supplies, is also fueling demand. 
• The adoption of new technologies like self-check-in kiosks and automated baggage handling systems are improving efficiency and passenger experience.
• For instance, in July 2024, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of the SATS Group, started a three-month trial using HVO biofuel in its airside transport fleet at London’s Heathrow Airport in support of SATS’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) group priorities and Heathrow’s goal for all airport vehicles to be zero-emission or using biofuels by 2030. WFS began increasing the use of biofuel across its fleet of 77 airside vehicles, which conduct approximately 130,000 truck movements a year at Heathrow in support of 10 airline customers.
• Thus, the surge in commercial flights and increased air travel are contributing to the surge of the market.