Kenyan President Dr William Samoei Ruto has highlighted the importance of aviation to Africa. He was welcoming the fact that the thirty-seventh IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC) is to be held in Africa for the first time, in Nairobi, from May 13 to May 15 this year. (IATA – the International Air Transport Association – is the global representative body for the airline industry.)

“Aviation opens a world of economic and social development opportunities, and aviation’s greatest potential is to make a real difference to the prosperity of people in Africa,” affirmed Ruto. “Welcoming and supporting the IGHC in Kenya is an example of the importance that Kenya places on the aviation sector and the expectations that we have for it as a sector leading development in Kenya and across the continent.”

The conference will focus on ground operations, baggage operations, and collaboration and innovation. In turn, ground operations will focus on ground support equipment (GSE) reliability, the move to hydrogen-powered GSE, the advantages of harmonised training, and the essential safety focus areas for ground personnel. Regarding baggage operations, this will be the first IGHC to have a session dedicated to real-time baggage tracking, the move to modern messaging standards, and the transition to electronic bag tags. Collaboration and innovation will cover collaboration between airports and ground handlers, supply privatisation insights, and look at upcoming regulations for ground handling.

“Ground handling is critical for the safety, efficiency and resilience of the entire aviation industry,” highlighted IATA director-general Willie Walsh. “The key word we will focus on at this year’s IGHC is ‘elevate’. We’ll be looking for ways to drive better performance in the ground handling sector. That means modernising operations, investing in the workforce, and strengthening coordination and collaboration so that ground handling can support growth even more efficiently.”

President Ruto and Walsh will both deliver keynote addresses at IGHC 2025. So would host airline Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka.

“As Africa’s aviation leader, Kenya Airways is honoured to pioneer this landmark event,” said Kilavuka. “Hosting IGHC aligns with our mission to drive innovation, foster partnerships, and showcase Africa’s readiness to shape the future of global air travel. Hosting IGHC 2025 in Kenya reaffirms our commitment to advancing the industry – both domestically and continentally – to unlock prosperity and connectivity.”