The verdict in three sentences
A ground handling company working 40 flights a day at Singapore cannot keep planning crews and equipment on a whiteboard without paying avoidable delay penalties and overtime. An international off-the-shelf suite costs 80,000 to 300,000 USD and imposes its own processes, while a custom tool for planning and airline invoicing sits in Kolonell's grid at 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and more (about 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and more), delivered in 5 to 7 months. The right choice is a three-year calculation: licences, local fit and penalties avoided per flight.
What the whiteboard really costs a handler
On a busy apron, every turnaround needs a ramp lead, ramp agents, a push-back tug, a GPU, baggage belt loaders and sometimes an airbridge crew. With 40 flights a day, the planner juggles around 320 assignments daily, cascading delays and last-minute changes passed on by phone. A whiteboard keeps no history, which makes it hard to dispute a penalty charged by an airline.
| Cost item (2026 order of magnitude) | Without a tool | With a planning tool |
|---|---|---|
| Delays attributed to the handler per month | 25 to 40 | 10 to 15 |
| Average penalty per attributed delay (airline SLA) | 300 to 800 USD | Same, but less frequent |
| Monthly agent overtime | 900 to 1,200 h | 500 to 700 h |
| Time to issue invoices to airlines | 20 to 30 days | 2 to 5 days |
| Ancillary services not billed (GPU, de-icing, PRM assistance) | 3 to 6% of revenue | Under 1% |
| Time to prepare an ISAGO audit | 3 to 4 weeks | 1 week |
Penalties and forgotten services often weigh more than the price of the software. That is the argument that wins over the finance team.
Off-the-shelf suite or custom tool: the comparison
Specialist vendors sell full ground resource management suites. They are robust, but built for large hubs, with licence fees in dollars and integration billed separately.
| Criterion | International suite | Kolonell custom tool |
|---|---|---|
| Initial budget | 80,000 to 300,000 USD | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and more (10,670 to 22,870 EUR and more) |
| Annual licences | 15 to 25% of the initial price | No licence, maintenance 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month |
| Time to go live | 9 to 15 months | 5 to 7 months |
| Invoicing in local currency with local tax | External configuration | Native |
| Mobile entry for ramp agents | Often optional | Offline Android app included |
| Per-airline rate card (SGHA Annex B) | IATA standard | Exact copy of your contracts |
| Code ownership | No | Yes, transferred to the client |
The custom tool covers four priority modules: the flight schedule imported from airlines, crew and equipment assignment, mobile entry of block times and services rendered, then automatic invoicing based on Annex B of each SGHA contract.
The scope of a realistic MVP in 5 to 7 months
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and workshops with duty managers | 3 weeks | Task map per aircraft type |
| Crew and equipment planning | 6 to 8 weeks | Real-time dashboard, conflict alerts |
| Ramp mobile app | 5 to 6 weeks | Time logging, photos, crew signatures |
| Airline invoicing | 4 to 5 weeks | PDF invoices, accounting export, reminders |
| Acceptance testing with 2 pilot airlines | 3 to 4 weeks | Fixes, supervisor training |
A gradual rollout, airline by airline, limits operational risk during peak season.
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Wei Ling, operations director of a handler in Singapore (illustrative scenario), suffers 32 attributed delays a month at an average penalty of 500 USD, so 16,000 USD a month. With the tool, she targets 14 delays, or 7,000 USD: a saving of 9,000 USD a month. Add 3% of ancillary services recovered on monthly revenue of 300,000 USD, or another 9,000 USD. For a project at about 13,000,000 FCFA (roughly 21,500 USD), payback comes in under two months of operation, even if those gains are halved for prudence.
FAQ
Can a custom tool talk to the airport's system?
Yes, if the operator provides an AODB feed or MVT and LDM messages. Integration usually adds 2 to 4 weeks and 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA to the project.
Does the app work without network coverage on the apron?
Yes, the Android app stores entries offline and syncs as soon as the connection returns. A rugged device costs 400 to 700 USD per agent.
Can we invoice several airlines with different rate cards?
Yes, each SGHA contract is configured with its rates per aircraft type and per service. Around twenty rate cards can be set up in under a week.
What maintenance budget should we plan?
Kolonell maintenance ranges from 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month depending on the support level. Cloud hosting for such a tool generally stays under 150 USD a month.
Does the tool help with an ISAGO audit?
It keeps a timestamped history of assignments, training and checks. Audit preparation drops from 3 to 4 weeks to about one week.
Let's scope your project. Share your flight volume, number of airline clients and equipment fleet: we price the MVP within the 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and more grid, with a 5 to 7 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h via our quote form. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
