Challenges with Manual Wingwalking: Time for a Smarter Ground Safety Strategy

In the fast-paced world of aviation, every ground movement counts. One slight miscalculation can lead to hangar rash, costly aircraft damage, or even personnel injury. That’s why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) strongly recommends the use of manual wingwalking for every aircraft towing event. Yet, while this long-standing safety practice has saved countless mishaps, it’s also revealing a new kind of risk—unsustainable labor costs and operational inefficiencies.

What Is Manual Wingwalking?

Manual wingwalking involves 2 to 3 ground crew members—strategically positioned at the wings and tail of an aircraft during taxi or tow. Their role? To act as extra sets of eyes, guiding tugs, watching blind spots, and ensuring the aircraft avoids contact with nearby structures, vehicles, or other aircraft.

The FAA doesn’t mandate wingwalkers in every case, but it “strongly suggests” them—especially during complex ramp movements, hangar entry/exit, and low-visibility operations. For many operators, wingwalkers have become the default, non-negotiable safeguard.

But here’s the catch.

The Hidden Cost of Safety: $1 Billion Per Year

With over 56 million annual flight operations in the U.S., the use of wingwalkers is widespread and frequent. And when you factor in labor costs, training, scheduling, and safety compliance, the numbers add up fast:

• Average wingwalking team: 2–3 personnel per aircraft

• Average time spent per movement: 20–30 minutes

• Estimated labor cost: ~$1 billion annually in the U.S. alone

That’s a billion dollars spent on routine, repetitive, non-revenue activities—critical to safety, yes, but ripe for innovation.

The Real-World Challenge for Operators

Aircraft operators, FBOs, and ground handling companies are caught between two pressing priorities:

1. Uphold safety best practices to prevent damage and liability.

2. Control labor costs and streamline operations amid a tight workforce market.

This creates a significant tension: do you accept higher costs for safety or cut corners and risk incidents?

Many are also facing:

• Labor shortages, especially during peak seasons.

• Training gaps, which can result in inconsistent wingwalking execution.

• Rising insurance premiums, partially tied to the frequency of minor ground incidents.

  
  

With safety and efficiency on the line, the aviation industry needs a smarter, scalable solution—one that doesn't compromise safety or break the budget.

What If We Could Shift the Burden?

Imagine if the physical task of wingwalking—while still critical—could be augmented by intelligent technology.

At Airtrek Robotics, we're asking exactly that.

What if computer vision, AI, and autonomous systems could:

• Continuously monitor aircraft clearance zones

• Alert tugs and ramp crew in real time

• Standardize safety performance across every shift

• Free up human staff for higher-value activities while enhancing situational awareness

  
  

We’re building that solution.

A New Era in Ground Handling Safety

Manual wingwalking isn’t going away overnight. But as costs rise and operational complexity increases, there’s a clear case for supporting human teams with smarter tools.

Stay tuned as Airtrek introduces a revolutionary approach to ground safety—one designed to:

• Support and augment human staff

• Eliminate preventable incidents

• Unlock measurable ROI for FBOs, ground handlers, and aircraft operators

  
  

It’s time to reimagine safety for the 21st-century ramp.