Fatigue Management for Airport Ground Operations
Fatigue management is well established for flight crews but has received considerably less attention for airport ground personnel working in safety-critical environments. Airport employees and personnel working for airport stakeholders often work long shifts at irregular hours, perform physically and mentally demanding work, operate heavy equipment around aircraft, and respond to extended operational events, including winter operations that require varying shiftwork schedules for snow removal and other critical airfield activities. Research is needed to better understand how fatigue affects human performance, decision-making, and safety across airport ground operations, including the effects of shift duration and scheduling practices during prolonged operational events. The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook for airports on the impacts, risks, and effective mitigation strategies for addressing cognitive fatigue in airport ground operations. The research will examine the root causes of fatigue, its effects on human performance, and approaches for managing fatigue risk, including techniques and technologies used in aviation and other transportation industries. The project will evaluate fatigue management practices, shift scheduling approaches, and winter operations; identify practical approaches for recognizing, assessing, monitoring, and managing fatigue risk; and provide guidance that airport operators can use to improve safety among airport personnel and employees of airport stakeholders whose performance affects airport operations.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Proposed
- Funding: $400,000.00
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Contract Numbers:
Project 04-40
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Sponsor Organizations:
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC United States 20591 -
Managing Organizations:
Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)
Transportation Research Board
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Project Managers:
Picciano, Tara
- Start Date: 20260831
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Airport Cooperative Research Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Airport operations; Airports; Ground crews; Physiological fatigue; Risk management
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 02001719
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
- Contract Numbers: Project 04-40
- Files: TRB, RIP
- Created Date: Sep 2 2026 4:51PM