Aviramp Launches Survey on Airport Equipment Compliance Standards

Aviramp has launched a new industry survey focused on airport equipment compliance and procurement practices, aiming to better understand how operators evaluate standards, maintenance costs and long-term ownership value.

The survey was introduced during the AAAE Annual Conference and Exposition in Los Angeles and focuses on how U.S. procurement standards align with international aviation benchmarks.

Company officials said the initiative is intended to address what they describe as a growing disconnect between compliance requirements cited in procurement documents and the independent verification of equipment performance.

“We've done detailed comparative work and the U.S. standards and the international benchmarks are saying essentially the same thing,” said Mark Burton, technical director at Aviramp. “The gap isn't in what the standards require. It's in whether the equipment being supplied actually meets them.”

Aviramp said the research will gather feedback from airport operators and ground handling teams related to standards awareness, equipment lifespan, maintenance frequency and total cost of ownership.

The company said procurement decisions are often driven by initial acquisition cost rather than long-term operational performance, creating potential challenges tied to maintenance, downtime and residual equipment value.

“Total cost of ownership isn’t [visible], at least not until it’s too late,” said Wayne Lawrence, commercial director at Aviramp.

The survey also examines how procurement teams navigate FAA, ARP and IATA standards language when evaluating airside equipment purchases.

Aviramp officials said the goal is to develop a broader data set that can support more informed procurement conversations around compliance verification, lifecycle costs and operational reliability.