Station Control

Job insights | dnata Switzerland AG

Station Control

The Station Control department plays a fundamental role in flight management. As real conductors on the tarmac, the agents draw up the loading plans and are responsible for coordinating our operational services (Passengers, Cargo and Cleaning among others) with those of the airlines and the various service providers (fuel, catering), in compliance with safety, quality and punctuality regulations.


Turnaround Coordinator (TRC) :

The Turnaround Coordinator, or Traffic Agent (Geneva Airport), as mentioned above, is responsible for coordinating the entire turnaround of a dedicated flight. In this function, for example, the loading of baggage into the cargo holds must be planned, taking into account various factors such as weight, dimensions, restrictions, etc. Once the loading has been planned, the documents required by the flight crew - such as the flight plan and weather reports - must be prepared.

In a further step, the employees take over the coordination and control of all persons involved in the aircraft : refuelling, catering, cleaning, loading, disembarking and boarding. They also ensure that the safety and quality regulations are complied with and that the services meet our high standards.

Specific activities related to a Turnaround Coordinator (TRC) :

- Establish a loading plan
- Print and/or comply weather reports and flight plans for the flight crew (pilots)
- Communicate by radio and coordination with the various parties involved
- Record of specific requests or special cases (special passengers, meals, etc...) and organisation of any related actions
- Brief and continuous communication with the different departments/participants involved in the flight (gate, engine manager, cleaning team, assistants, tanker, maintenance...)
- Collect final data (bunkers, passengers, fuel) in order to issue the necessary documents to the crews (weight and balance quotations...)
- Carry out departure procedures (aircraft tour, communication with pilots during pushback, etc.)
- Send the necessary messages to the destination station with the final updated data
- Manage the various administrative tasks required by the department and/or the airlines
- Respect and ensure compliance with the safety, health and security regulations issued by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the airport, the authorities, the client companies and dnata's internal directives.

Operation Coordinator (OC) – Geneva only / Turnaround Coordinator (TRC) – Zurich only :

The Operation Coordinator takes a step back to have an overview of all the operations of the day. This allows them to coordinate both internal and external stakeholders involved and to assist them when necessary. This includes preparing the required documentation for the Turnaround Coordinators, managing the arrival and departure timings of each flight and the requests of the airlines. The Operation Coordinator is also involved in case of irregular situations such as delays, cancellations, diversions, and so on.

Specific activities related to an Operations Coordinator (OC)/Turnaround Coordinator (TRC) :

With the communication tools at their disposal, the Operations Coordinator must be both reactive and proactive. They must ensure that operations run smoothly. Therefore, they respond to requests for information and informs :

- Airport authorities (catering, fuel, air traffic control...)
- Local representatives or operational centers of companies assisted by dnata
- Internal departments, particularly in the event of particularities requiring changes to schedules
- Traffic agents depending on the flight
- Crew (pilots) in flight by radio frequency

Operation Coordinators also have the following responsibilities :

- Allocate flights to Trafic Agents
- Transmit all necessary data/information to all actors involved in the flights
- Insert all final data into the appropriate systems
- Process and send all operational messages
- Respect and ensure compliance with the safety, health and security regulations issued by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the airport, the authorities, the client companies and dnata's internal directives.

Nota bene : Any designation of person, status or function in this document refers equally to women or men or to any individual in general without distinction. Further information regarding our job descriptions can be found in our terms of use.