TS EN ISO 11532

TS EN ISO 11532 is the standard that organises common graphical symbols for use on aircraft ground equipment. Its focus is the visual identification of controls, indicators and decals on powered and unpowered ground support equipment so they can be recognised quickly and correctly. In practice, this matters to airlines, ground-handling organisations, airport authorities and manufacturers that need a shared visual language across different equipment types and operating environments.

A shared symbol language for ground support equipment

The standard presents these symbols in line with the general recommendations of ISO/TC 145 for graphical symbols and also promotes the standardisation of terms used for controls and indicators on aircraft ground support equipment. As general technical context, graphical symbols are compact visual identifiers that communicate function without relying on text alone. That makes them especially useful where space is limited, equipment is used by multilingual teams, or operators must identify a control point or status display at a glance.

New equipment, retrofits and fleet consistency

The document intends the symbols to be placed on new equipment and retrofitted on existing equipment as far as possible. This supports consistency across a mixed fleet of ground support machines and helps reduce ambiguity between different makes and models. Read as a technical reference, the standard contributes to clearer control labelling and more uniform operator recognition, while the broader equipment design remains outside its own scope.

• It covers common graphical symbols for all types of aircraft ground support equipment.
• It is aimed at fast and accurate identification of controls, indicators and decals.
• Both powered and unpowered equipment are included in the scope.
• The symbols are intended for new equipment and, where feasible, for retrofitting existing equipment.
• Its presentation follows the recommendations of ISO/TC 145 on graphical symbols.