Nominations Now Open for Ground Support Worldwide’s 2026 Leaders of the Year Awards
Ground Support Worldwide is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Leaders of the Year Awards, honoring the individuals and organizations driving progress, innovation, and excellence across the global ground support industry.
Each year, the program recognizes standout professionals and companies that elevate safety, improve operational performance, advance ground support technology, and shape the future of ramp operations. If you know a leader making a real difference in ground handling, GSE, or aviation operations, now is the time to put their name forward.
Nominations are open across four award categories:
Team Leader of the Year
Celebrates managers and frontline leaders who build high-performing teams, foster strong safety cultures, champion just culture principles, and create meaningful improvements in training, accountability, and workforce engagement.
Find out about last year's winner here.
Service Leader of the Year
Honors service providers and ground handling organizations that deliver exceptional reliability, customer value, and operational excellence, often behind the scenes but critical to airline and airport success.
Details about about last year's winner can be found here.
Product Leader of the Year
Recognizes innovators and technical leaders in the ground support equipment space whose products improve turnaround efficiency, streamline ramp operations, and enhance safety and performance through smart engineering and design.
Read about last year's winner here.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Reserved for industry trailblazers whose careers reflect sustained leadership, dedication, and impact in the ground support and GSE sectors, with contributions that have shaped how aircraft are serviced on the ramp.
To see the profile of last year's winner, click here.
All selected winners will be featured in Ground Support Worldwide’s May/June 2026 issue, along with expanded digital coverage across AviationPros platforms.
Nominate a Leader Who Deserves Industry Recognition
Help shine a spotlight on the people and organizations moving ground support forward. Submit your nomination before March 13, 2026 to ensure your candidate is considered.
Use the nomination poll at the top of this page to nominate a candidate for the 2026 Leaders of the Year Awards.