GH.OPS.500 Cargo and mail handling — General requirements

(a)The activities referred to in Article 2.2(e) points (i) to (iv) of this Regulation may be performed in a cargo terminal or a cargo warehouse at an aerodrome or adjacent to it.

(b)The ground handling organisation shall apply the operational procedures for cargo and mail handling provided by the aircraft operator unless agreed otherwise with the aircraft operator.

(c)Notwithstanding point (a), the ground handling organisation shall have and implement operational procedures for the safe transportation of cargo and mail covering the following aspects:

(1)acceptance of shipment on behalf of the aircraft operator and preparation for the flight in accordance with the applicable requirements and aircraft operator procedures, including:

(i)any necessary checks, not linked to safety aspects, as required by applicable regulations;

(ii)if applicable, dangerous goods acceptance checks in accordance with Annex 18 to the Chicago Convention and the ICAO Technical Instructions relating to that Annex;

(iii)cross-checks of the cargo against the accompanying documentation on behalf of the aircraft operator;

(iv)planning of the build-up;

(2)final buildup of the cargo, if this was not performed before its arrival at the cargo terminal, and storage of the cargo before the flight;

(3)transportation of the cargo shipment to and from the aircraft;

(4)intervention in case of cargo damage, leakage or spillage.

(d)The cargo operations may be performed together by the qualified personnel of the ground handling organisation and the aircraft operator, as priorly agreed.