As demand for second-hand GSE continues to increase, providers must ensure that their refurbished units meet strict environmental and safety standards, writes Madison James
Adapt GSE, a leading provider of refurbished ground support equipment based in Northern Ireland, was founded in 2020, at a time when the industry faced heavy disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the circumstances, the company’s name seems particularly fitting.
According to Eamonn Maguire, co-founder and director at Adapt GSE, the name – along with that of its sister company, Adapt Global Solutions – was chosen to symbolise the GSE industry’s need to adapt to change during the pandemic, along with the wider aviation sector. Alongside this, the team was adapting to a transformed global landscape as people.
Maguire and fellow co-founder and director, David Russell, faced challenges while getting the company off the ground in this environment. However, second-hand assets were in high demand due to the impact of the pandemic on Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
An exodus of skilled workers
According to Maguire, the long-lasting effects of disruption to the supply chain within the GSE industry has only shown signs of correcting itself over the last 18 months. Notably, the sector, which tends to be traditional with a higher experienced age profile, has suffered from an exodus of skilled workers. “[The sector] is relying on training up younger people who just don’t have that experience. They have knowledge and enthusiasm, but they have to learn the industry,” he says.
“I think there needs to be an emphasis put on the likes of apprenticeships that will help upskill the technicians and help fill the ever-greatening void of skilled personnel.”
Amid rising global appetite for GSE assets, OEM’s are striving to meet the demand. However, there is still a major requirement for high-quality refurbished GSE. Though Adapt GSE refurbishes almost all types of equipment, the industry is highly seasonal, which requires it to plan ahead for summer and winter operations. In order to remain prepared, the company carries approximately 120 – 150 assets at all times, with 60% refurbished and ready for dispatch.
Many customers opt for enhancements to bolster a unit’s environmental performance and efficiency. For example, the company has recently upgraded various GSE types by using more eco-friendly engines, improving the circularity of the components and inputting to boost sustainability. It has also upgraded side panels on some catering trucks to allow for a higher degree of ambient cooling in more challenging climates.
In recent years, there has been a rising emphasis on enhancing operational safety on the ramp, reinforced by initiatives such as IATA’s Enhanced GSE Recognition Programme, which calls for the use of anti-collision technology. Russell says that IATA’s AHM 913 directive, covering Basic Safety Requirements for Aircraft Ground Support Equipment, has challenged Adapt GSE to develop solutions for incorporating safety devices aligned with the AHM 913 standard.
He believes that this development benefits the industry overall. “All safety enhancements and innovation must always be welcomed by all parties on the ramp and airside,” he says.
“To install AHM 913 on older units is often a lot more challenging, and is often just not practicably possible. It requires the input and buy-in of the OEMs who made the equipment in the first instance.”
Advancing electrification
On the other hand, Maguire thinks that refurbished GSE is playing a key role in the growing trend of electrification within the sector. As part of its strategic vision, the company is focusing on the twin track of sustainable refurbishment and electrification of diesel engine GSE assets.
“We have already commenced this journey, and we see 2026 as a pivotal year for our business in this arena,” he says.
In 2025, the company invested in a modernised website, allowing it to reach out to a wider audience globally. This year, it is implementing a management information system that will allow it to track the sustainability of its refurbishment activities.
“Both new and refurbished assets are essentially in the same boat in that the utility provision at airports and general electric infrastructure is playing catch up,” he points out. Essentially, pent-up demand for electric GSE is outpacing the supply of power.
Russell adds: “The trend is very obvious in all matters of green energy. We have been very busy with the refurbishment of electric and hybrid vehicles for ground handlers globally for the past two years.”
According to Maguire, demand for competitively priced electrified assets has been very positive, with the added benefit that swapping a diesel engine for a battery brings a unit back to zero rated hours. However, there is often an issue with the definition of refurbished second-hand assets.
“Various airports and airport authorities have age caps on GSE assets, and this generally ranges from five to ten years,” he says. “There is often a lack of clarity on what is acceptable in terms of zero-rated hours, and hence when a start-of-life asset can once more be supplied to ground handlers in airports with restrictions on life cycles.”
Building a global footprint
Alongside local markets in the UK and Ireland, Adapt GSE has exported to more than 46 countries within its first five years of operation, and is committed to building its global footprint. Russell emphasises that the company plans to achieve this through its competitive strengths, including the high quality of its refurbished GSE at fair and competitive rates. This is backed up with full aftermarket support, including commissioning, training, technical back-up and spare parts.
“Every ground handler and airport is a potential customer of Adapt GSE, and we have a very focused strategy for growing our business over the next five years,” says Maguire.
“We have recently relocated to a larger premises to accommodate our growth plans and to also give Adapt GSE more scope and abilities to constantly improve its processes and sustainable refurbishment.
“We are very lucky to have a highly skilled engineering team coming from one of Europe’s leading manufacturing hubs.”
TCR’s sustainable refurbishment
As a world-leading GSE supplier, TCR has a key role to play in driving the global shift towards sustainable airside operations. In recent years, the company has focused on advancing circularity by extending the lifecycle of its equipment.
Central to this endeavour is TCR’s expansion of Eco Centres – hubs located around the world that have a specific focus on reconditioning GSE, for redeployment in the company’s operations or resale in the second-hand market.
TCR currently operates five Eco Centres in total: three hybrid centres, which mainly support leasing operations alongside some reconditioning, and two dedicated facilities that are being scaled up. Its Eco Centre in Spain has grown from a team of eight people to 17, 15 of which are technicians.
Moreover, the company is in the process of moving from its centre in France to one that is five times bigger. The facility is already refurbishing almost 140 pieces of equipment per year, or 12 per month. From those, 45% have been sold, 35% have been re-rented, and 20% have been recycled. By 2030, TCR is aiming to recondition approximately 1000 GSE units.
Catering for the whole range of GSE
Harold Delloye, director of Eco Centres and remarketing at TCR, has been with the company for over 11 years and took the lead on all second-life operations just over a year ago. When he stepped into the role, the initiative was still at the proof-of-concept stage; it is now entering a scale-up phase.
To support this, TCR has a new website, spotlighting stock that is available for remarketing customers as well as those who may wish to rent it for their operations. The company caters for the whole range of GSE, with the most popular units including diesel and electric baggage tractors, stairs, belt loaders and pushback tractors.
Moreover, it reconditions some towable equipment such as air conditioning, air start and ground power units, while Spain in particular has a large market for passenger buses.
TCR’s units are regularly maintained to a high standard, with Delloye pointing out that poorly serviced equipment can cause multiple safety issues. He gives the example of equipment short-circuiting and becoming a fire hazard.
“In some cases, even engines in really heavy machines can start catching fire,” he says. “Imagine what that could potentially cause if that equipment is attached to the aircraft. Poor maintenance or shortcuts can really have severe consequences.”
Ensuring safety
According to Delloye, TCR’s standard practice is to return GSE assets to the condition they were in when first leaving the factory. Although there is no official body for certifying the quality of refurbished GSE, the company must ensure it complies with certain standards. For example, in Europe, equipment comes with CE certification, which states that it has been built according to specific machine norms imposed by legislation.
The company is nonetheless able to retrofit additional upgrades, such as anti-collision technology, telematics, and safety features that are required at certain airports. For example, turtle modes restrict a unit’s speed to 5km/h when it approaches a radio frequency emitter. This provides an additional layer of safety for baggage tractors, automatically reducing speed to prevent collisions or damage.
Looking ahead, TCR is focusing on building its network of remarketing customers within its GSE sales department, as well as selling more reconditioned equipment.
“We are continuing to invest a lot in our Eco Centres”, says Delloye. “[They] are there to support the growth of our group from a rental perspective, but also from a remarketing perspective.
“To grow our sales, we will have to utilise the full capacity of our two main Eco Centres in order to make sure that we always have a sufficient stock of equipment […] that is not only safe, operational and serviceable, but also looking great, so that our customers are happy to have that type of equipment at hand.”
