Blackhawk.io & Link America Take Flight at GHI Americas 2025
In the first week of June, Blackhawk.io and our strategic partner Link America joined over 600 ground handling professionals in Orlando for the 9th Annual GHI Americas Conference—a premier gathering for airlines, ground handling operators, GSE OEMs, and asset finance leaders shaping the future of aviation operations. From accelerating turnaround times to reducing maintenance costs and optimizing fleet size, the need for connected, data-driven decision-making in ground operations has never been clearer. And this year’s GHI event made one thing certain: aviation is ready for transformation.
A Joint Force for Innovation in Ground Handling
Blackhawk exhibited alongside Link America, our US-based value-added reseller, at Stand E25. Together, we demonstrated how our connected equipment and operations platform helps aviation stakeholders improve performance, safety, and profitability through intelligent data and streamlined digital workflows. Our team included Keith Oliver and David Kennedy of Blackhawk, and John Breen and Quincy Ragdale of Link America.
This event marked David Kennedy’s debut outing with Blackhawk, and his extensive industry experience immediately elevated conversations, helping us pinpoint the real operational challenges and unlock targeted solutions with prospective customers.
It was also Link America’s first time at GHI, and both John and Quincy were inspired by the industry’s genuine openness to innovation, efficiency, and smarter ways of working.
Meeting the Moment: What the Industry Is Asking For
Throughout the event, we were thrilled to see the buzz around our joint stand— with existing customers sending colleagues over to see what Blackhawk and Link America are delivering.
Conversations consistently centered on:
- How to make GSE fleets smarter and more responsive
- How to automate maintenance to reduce costs and extend equipment life
- How to improve safety and compliance with digital checklists and SOP access
- How to gain utilization insights across multiple ports to support better fleet allocation decisions
Attendees loved the simplicity and flexibility of our QR tag and smart digital forms, enabling frontline workers to log faults, complete safety inspections, and access documentation instantly. Many were also impressed by our automated maintenance workflows, which trigger service reminders and digital work orders based on actual equipment usage—not just time intervals.
Connecting the Dots Across Aviation’s Key Stakeholders
What makes Blackhawk different is our ability to connect the entire ground handling ecosystem. At GHI, we demonstrated how our platform supports:
- Airlines – with better SLA performance visibility, asset availability, and faster turnarounds
- Ground Handling Operators – with safety compliance tools, operator behavior reporting, and proactive maintenance
- GSE Manufacturers – with white-label connectivity to enable predictive service, data-driven product support, and warranty differentiation
- GSE Finance & Leasing Firms – with automated runtime tracking, location visibility, and customer usage reporting that improves residuals and reduces risk
We also showed how our platform helps right-size fleets by identifying underutilized equipment at specific ports—allowing operators to redistribute or divest assets intelligently and improve capital efficiency.
Looking Ahead: Big Potential, Real Results
GHI reinforced what we already believe: the aviation industry is ready—and eager—for smart, scalable technology to help it work smarter. At Blackhawk and Link America, we’re proud to bring practical, powerful solutions to this space, and we’re excited by the momentum we’re building together with our partners and clients.
