Electrification brings a practical question for airport operators and ground handlers: Where and when will electric equipment be charged – without extra trips across the apron?
That question is at the center of Ground Handling International Magazine’s October 2026 cover story, featuring ITW GSE’s 7400 eGPU and insights from Jose Manuel De Las Heras, Senior Sales & Business Development Manager at ITW GSE.
How can the 7400 eGPU charge electric GSE at remote stands?
The 7400 eGPU delivers 400 Hz power to parked aircraft. But why stop there?
With new auxiliary outlets, available as an option on the 90 kVA model, the eGPU can also serve as a mobile power bank, making better use of its available battery capacity.
The two outlets offer additional flexibility at remote stands:
- 32A CEE outlet: Enables charging of other electric GSE, such as cargo loaders, directly at the stand. This reduces unnecessary trips to charging stations and helps keep equipment available where it’s needed.
- 16A outlet: Provides power for service tasks, such as cabin cleaning equipment or maintenance activities during aircraft turnaround.
Power consumption through both outlets can also be monitored and tracked, allowing ground handlers to use the data for billing purposes.
“You need an eGPU on the remote stand to provide the 400 Hz power, but now that same unit can charge other electric GSE as well: one unit, two services,” says De Las Heras.
Less movement, more charging flexibility: SOUTH leads the way
SOUTH, the IAG Group handling company covering Iberia flights, was one of the first customers interested in the power bank option.
They recently bought 90 ITW GSE eGPUs, which are now installed across Spanish airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.
Charging equipment directly at remote stands offers an opportunity to reduce unnecessary GSE movements and the operational costs associated with transporting equipment to charging stations.
“If you have four or five eGSE at every remote stand, you just need to tow two of them each day while the others are getting charged at the remote stand. You are substantially reducing the costs of the operation,” says De Las Heras. “You don’t need to bring them to the charging stations, so that directly reduces infrastructural costs for the handlers.”
How EcoGate supports airport electrification and charging infrastructure
Beyond mobile charging, the article explores how EcoGate takes a coordinated approach to gate power and charging, complemented by flexible mobile equipment.
Read the full cover story in GHI Magazine to discover how smarter use of available power can support more efficient ground operations.
