Ground Support Equipment (GSE) installations at Zayed International Airport (AUH)

Ground Support Equipment covers every powered and non-powered vehicle that moves, feeds, heats, cools or loads an aircraft while it sits at stand. It includes aircraft tugs and pushbacks, belt and container loaders, ground power units, pre-conditioned air carts, passenger steps, catering hi-lifts and lavatory and potable water trucks. Airlines, ground handlers and airport operators procure GSE in large fleets, usually on 10-15 year lifecycles, and are now transitioning heavily to electric models to meet Scope-1 decarbonisation targets.

Renamed in 2024 in honour of the UAE's founding father, Zayed International announced itself to the world with Terminal A — a sculptural, light-flooded building the size of 27 football pitches, opened the same year. Home to Etihad's Greenliner fleet, the airport is Abu Dhabi's statement that capital-of-culture ambitions demand capital-of-aviation infrastructure. Passenger volumes surged to 28.8 million in 2024 as Etihad accelerated a 170-aircraft fleet plan.