Samsara Elevates Safety and Efficiency for Swissport, Redefining Aviation Ground Operations
Samsara (NYSE: IOT), a global leader and pioneer of the Connected Operations® Platform, has announced transformative results in its partnership with Swissport, the world’s leading provider of airport ground operations, air cargo services, and airport hospitality. Leveraging Samsara’s AI-powered technology, Swissport North America achieved remarkable improvements in operational safety and efficiency, including a 60% reduction in incidents and a 23% decrease in vehicle damage within just 18 weeks of implementation.
These results highlight the growing importance of connected technologies in high-pressure aviation environments. Swissport’s success with Samsara demonstrates that AI-driven solutions can not only enhance operational performance but also protect personnel, equipment, and aircraft while driving measurable business outcomes.
A Partnership That Transforms Safety Culture
Levi Blount, Director of Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment for Swissport North America, emphasized the profound impact of Samsara on the company’s safety culture:
The partnership between Swissport and Samsara is transforming the way we protect our teams and operations. We have seen a huge return on investment, and no other system has had such a profound impact on our safety culture in such a short period of time.
The integration of Samsara’s Connected Operations Platform enabled Swissport to take a proactive approach to managing operational risks. By monitoring vehicles, equipment, and driver behaviors in real time, the company could identify and mitigate hazards before they resulted in incidents. This level of predictive safety management marks a significant evolution from traditional, reactive approaches, which often rely on post-incident analysis and reporting.
Real-Time Visibility and Operational Excellence
Swissport’s operational success hinged on deploying Samsara Vehicle Gateways and AI Dash Cams across its North American fleet. These devices provide in-cab alerts to drivers, enabling immediate self-correction when unsafe behaviors are detected. By offering instant feedback, these systems encourage safer driving practices and reduce the likelihood of costly accidents.
Real-time operational visibility also allows Swissport to allocate resources effectively, particularly in the highly dynamic airport environment where flight arrivals and departures can vary. Management teams can quickly adjust staffing, equipment, and vehicle deployment to meet changing operational demands, ensuring consistent on-time performance even during peak traffic periods or unforeseen delays.
Tolly Savile, Chief Commercial Officer, North America at Swissport, noted the broader benefits of this connected approach:
Samsara has helped strengthen our world-class safety standards, including how we manage risk and operational performance. What began as a technology deployment has become a competitive advantage. With every unit connected, we now have complete visibility across our operation, enabling data-driven decisions that enhance our high safety standards, optimize utilization, and strengthen accountability in real time.
By providing a unified view of operations, the platform allows Swissport to improve accountability, optimize workflows, and ensure that safety protocols are consistently applied across all sites and teams.
Samsara’s Capabilities for the Aviation Industry
Samsara’s technology addresses the complex challenges of ground operations in aviation, where efficiency and safety are paramount. Through a single dashboard, operators gain actionable insights to:
- Maximize operational efficiency: Streamline vehicle and equipment tracking, scheduling, and maintenance.
- Enhance frontline safety: Reduce incidents by monitoring behaviors and providing real-time corrective guidance.
- Lower runway incidents: Ensure personnel and assets are in the correct locations to prevent accidents.
- Reduce costs: Minimize asset damage and lower insurance premiums through improved safety and risk management.
This comprehensive approach allows aviation operators to combine operational intelligence with predictive analytics, making it possible to prevent incidents, optimize resource allocation, and maintain high standards of service consistently.
Proven Impact Across Leading Airlines and Airports
Samsara’s platform has been widely adopted by some of North America’s largest aviation organizations. Notable clients include:
- Airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines – three of the top five largest passenger carriers in North America.
- Airports: Four of the top five busiest U.S. airports, including Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International, Denver International, Los Angeles International, and Harry Reid International Airports.
David Over, Managing Director of Station Operations Support at Alaska Airlines, shared his experience with Samsara:
Unsafe driving can lead to injuries, damaged equipment, and damaged aircraft. We had tried traditional methods to move the needle, but we weren’t seeing the improvement we wanted. Since installation, we’ve seen an average 72% reduction in unsafe driving alerts. Some categories are even higher, up to 80% in certain behaviors like mobile phone use. The data is clear: this is working.
This performance highlights how Samsara’s real-time monitoring and AI-driven analytics are driving measurable improvements in safety, accountability, and operational efficiency for airlines and airports alike.
Supporting the Broader Passenger Experience Ecosystem
Samsara’s solutions extend beyond airlines and airports, impacting service providers that enhance the passenger experience. Ground transportation, shuttle services, and airport hospitality organizations rely on the platform to streamline operations and ensure safety. Clients include:
- Aeroport Taxi & Limousine Service
- Alto
- Farmer’s Fridge
- LAZ Parking
By providing visibility across all operations, Samsara enables these service providers to synchronize with airlines and airports, ensuring passengers enjoy a seamless, safe, and timely experience from check-in to arrival.
Connecting Every Element of Aviation Operations
Robert Stobaugh, Chief Operating Officer, GTM, at Samsara, explained the broader significance of the platform:
With Samsara, the aviation industry is gaining real-time operational insights that simply weren’t attainable before. Now, every piece of the operations puzzle can be connected and managed in a single dashboard. This means efficient ground operations, safer frontline workers, and more on-time departures. We’re proud to be the technology partner supporting this innovation.
By unifying vehicles, personnel, and operational data, Samsara allows aviation operators to anticipate issues, respond in real time, and maintain seamless operations. This level of integration is increasingly critical as airports and airlines face growing passenger volumes, complex scheduling, and heightened safety requirements.
Swissport’s results with Samsara underscore the transformative power of AI-driven, connected operations technology in aviation ground services. The combination of real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and operational visibility has enabled Swissport to achieve significant safety improvements, reduce asset damage, and improve efficiency across its North American operations.
In a high-stakes industry where operational missteps can be costly and even dangerous, the ability to monitor, analyze, and act in real time represents a game-changing advantage. As airports, airlines, and service providers continue to embrace connected technology, Samsara’s platform offers a proven blueprint for safer, more efficient, and more reliable aviation operations.
Within just 18 weeks, Swissport not only reduced incidents and vehicle damage but also strengthened its overall safety culture and operational effectiveness. This success demonstrates that technology integration can rapidly produce measurable results while setting the stage for long-term innovation and industry leadership.
For the aviation industry at large, this partnership is a compelling case study in how AI-powered, connected solutions can drive operational excellence, protect frontline workers, and enhance the passenger experience in one of the world’s most challenging operational environments.
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