This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) outlines recommended ramp pavement marking standards for proper guidance and positioning of GSE on commercial transport aircraft parking and handling stands (gates), in line with International Civil Aviation (ICAO) recommendations applicable to airport aprons.
Throughout this document, the minimum essential criteria are identified by use of the key word "shall". Recommended criteria are identified by use of the key word "should" and, while not mandatory, are considered to be of primary importance in providing safety effective ramp markings. Deviation from recommended criteria should only occur after careful consideration and thorough service evaluation have shown alternate methods to provide an equivalent level of safety.
Experience has demonstrated that ramp safety, both as to prevention of GSE accidents and injury to ramp workers and as to prevention of accidental damage to aircraft, closely depends on GSE operators adherence to safe driving and positioning practices, which in turn are greatly enhanced by the existence of recognized standard ramp markings in order to permanently materialize the variety of driving rules to be met.
The purpose of this Aerospace Recommended Practice is to accordingly provide airlines and airport operators with: the definition of standardized ramp markings; the corresponding driving and operating rules, to be taught in ramp staff training.
