Why safety is personal for Erwin, CAG Airport Safety Awardee
Safety at SATS is not just about the rules. It is also about people—the colleague who reminds you to wear your safety shoes or the one who speaks up when something does not look right. One such person is Erwin Tagle, CAG (Changi Airport Group) Annual Airport Safety Awards FY23/24 Gold Winner.
Erwin Maralit Tagle, Ramp Specialist at SATS Asia-Pacific Star
Erwin is a Ramp Specialist at SATS Asia-Pacific Star (APS), a wholly owned subsidiary of SATS that handles low-cost carriers at Changi Airport. He joined the team in 2018, already armed with ground handling experience from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines.
Erwin prioritises safety not only because it’s part of the job but also because it’s personal to him: his job involves human lives, he cares about his colleagues, and he wants to be safe and sound for his family.
A ramp specialist’s role
As a ramp specialist, Erwin’s skill set is versatile. Primarily, he manages the service crew who load and unload baggage and cargo, ensuring the process is done efficiently. He also moves around the tarmac, taking on different roles depending on where he’s needed.
One moment, Erwin could be doing headset duty, communicating with the pilots during arrival to kick off ground servicing, and assisting with aircraft pushback for departure. Other times he operates the passenger loading bridge to help passengers disembark. Sometimes, you’ll see him driving tractors, too.
Dealing with human lives
Although ramp agents like Erwin work on the ground and don’t have direct contact with passengers, what they do impacts passenger experiences. Aside from making sure your flight departs on time and the correct bags and cargo are loaded, they also ensure every ground task is done in a way that does not compromise passenger safety.
For Erwin, safety always comes first, even before on-time departures. He understands that postponements for safety concerns are always reasonable. “I can understand if my flight is delayed because the team made sure the aircraft and its passengers will have a safe journey.”
Prioritising safety at all times
One moment that stands out for Erwin happened in June 2023. He was working a flight with a few other ramp agents when he noticed something strange at a nearby bay: a baggage transporter rolling toward the aircraft boundary—without anyone driving it. The bay had a slight slope, and if the transporter kept going, it could have rolled into the path of a taxiing plane.
Erwin quickly called out to the equipment operator to intercept the transporter. “If I had waited for someone else to act, an accident might have already occurred,” he shares. His proactive action did not go unnoticed. A colleague nominated him for the CAG Annual Airport Safety Awards, and to Erwin’s surprise, he won the Gold Award.
Erwin with the SATS and SATS APS Management Team during the CAG Annual Airport Safety Awards FY23/24 and PCEO Awards 2024
Humbly, he explains, “It was just another part of the job.” But his willingness to take responsibility and act without being asked is what sets him apart. This mindset also earned him a PCEO Silver Award from SATS in November 2024.
A safe workplace means a safe team
Being employed at the airport, particularly on the airside, is challenging. Things move fast, and every day is hectic, with planes, vehicles, and ground agents all working at once. In such a workplace, Erwin looks out not just for himself but also for his teammates.
He works with a diverse team, with ramp agents from diverse cultures, like Indians, Burmese, Malaysians, and Singaporeans. Erwin admits it presents some challenges, but over the years, he has become friends with them. “We’ve become a family who have each other’s backs. We even play basketball after work,” he says.
Coming home to his family
Another reason he takes safety to heart is his family. Erwin’s family is in the Philippines, and he often flies back to see them twice a year.
“I want to be home safe for my wife and daughter. I want to be there for them, so I must always make sure I work safely each day,” he explains.
A safety routine that works
Erwin’s perspective on safety focuses not merely on responding to threats but on preventing them.
Handling more than ten flights a day, Erwin starts work way before the plane arrives at the bay. “I arrive at the bay 20 minutes prior to the aircraft’s arrival to perform a complete 360-degree inspection and search for any foreign object debris in the bay.”
He then briefs the service crew about safety protocols, personal protective equipment (PPE), and safety measures, makes sure the luggage is loaded properly, and verifies that no cargo is forgotten. It may seem redundant, but this routine is what guarantees that each flight is managed with the highest level of care.
At the end of the day, safety is not just a checklist for Erwin. Safety is a responsibility he carries with him as he thinks not just of himself but also of the passengers, his colleagues-turned-friends, and his family.