Muhammad Jamal Mizuki Sihombing, a load control officer at SATS, has simple advice for all travellers: "Please be on time."
While it may seem like ordinary travel advice, arriving on time can significantly affect aircraft loading, weight balance, and flight operations.
Behind every departure, ground handling teams work together to ensure each flight departs safely and on time. These include baggage handlers, ramp specialists, cargo assistants, and load control officers such as Jamal.
Jamal’s role is to ensure aircraft weight and balance calculations are accurate before every departure.
Muhammad Jamal Mizuki Sihombing, Load Control Officer, SATS (Singapore Hub)
Load control is a key part of airport ground handling and flight operations. Load control officers figure out how to arrange passengers, baggage, and cargo so the plane stays within safe weight and balance limits.
The team prepares a load sheet for loading and flight crews to use before departure. These calculations help keep the aircraft's centre of gravity within safe operating limits for taxi, takeoff, flight, and landing.
At SATS, Load Control is part of Apron Services, working closely with ramp operations, baggage handling, and cargo teams to support safe and efficient departures.
Read also: Meet Edwin, ramp agent at Changi Airport
Load control and aircraft weight and balance services by SATS are not unique to its Singapore Hub at Changi Airport. Through WFS, a SATS company, load control and weight and balance services are also provided to airline customers at airports across the Americas.
These specialised functions support airlines as part of broader ground handling operations, including passenger handling, ramp services, baggage handling, cargo handling, aircraft turnaround coordination, and flight operations support.
Aircraft weight and balance describes how weight is distributed throughout the aircraft.
Every passenger, bag, cargo shipment, and piece of equipment adds to the aircraft’s overall weight and centre of gravity. If the weight is not distributed correctly, it can affect performance, stability, and fuel efficiency.
This is why airlines rely on load control to calculate loading plans and verify that aircraft remain within approved operating limits before departure.
Within SATS, the load control team takes responsibility for aircraft weight and balance calculations, supporting the work that follows before departure.
Jamal explains, "We determine the weight that can be safely placed in each cargo compartment and prepare the load sheet used by the loading team and flight crew."
The role also means ensuring that aircraft loading complies with structural weight limits, dangerous goods regulations, and airline requirements.
Specialised airline software assists with these calculations, but load control officers still carry out independent checks to make sure loading plans remain safe and accurate.
To do this, a load control officer must possess a unique combination of technical and interpersonal skills, such as:
With around 60 minutes to prepare an aircraft load sheet, Jamal often balances several flights at once while managing last-minute operational changes.
Learning these skills took time, and handling pressure in particular was something he developed through experience and guidance from colleagues.
Today, Jamal approaches operational changes with greater confidence, and he believes that decisive decision-making is one of the most important qualities in the role.
Looking ahead, Jamal hopes to mentor future load control officers, passing on what he has learnt. "Hopefully, I'll be in the position where I'll be sharing my wisdom with the newbies. It's like passing on the aviation torch," he shares.
Watch: Q&A with Jamal, Load Control Officer at Changi Airport (SATS)
Many passengers are surprised to discover that no-show travellers can affect aircraft loading plans.
Passenger numbers, baggage loads, and cargo allocations all factor into an aircraft’s loading calculations. As a result, significant last-minute changes may mean updates to the aircraft’s trim settings, weight calculations, and loading plans before departure.
This is one of the biggest challenges Jamal faces in his role.
"Last-minute changes can affect the aircraft's loading plan. If there are many no-show passengers, that affects the aircraft's trim settings and weight distribution, so we need to recalculate the figures," he explains.
These changes do not affect only the load control team, though; they also affect other teams.
Baggage handling teams, cargo operators, and ramp personnel may also need to unload, reload, or reposition items to keep the aircraft within safe weight-and-balance limits.
This is why Jamal’s request for passengers to arrive on time is about more than convenience. It is a form of cooperation that helps airport teams work efficiently and ensures flights can depart safely and on time.
Q: What do load control officers do?
Load control officers calculate aircraft weight and balance, prepare load sheets, and coordinate with loading teams and flight crews to help ensure aircraft depart safely and efficiently.
Q: What is aircraft weight and balance?
Aircraft weight and balance refers to how passengers, baggage, and cargo are distributed throughout an aircraft. Maintaining correct weight distribution helps ensure safe and efficient aircraft performance during takeoff, flight, and landing.
Q: What is a load sheet?
A load sheet is a flight document that contains aircraft loading information, including passenger numbers, baggage weights, cargo weights, and weight distribution calculations. Loading teams and flight crews use it before departure.
Q: What is aircraft trim?
Aircraft trim refers to the balance and distribution of weight on an aircraft. Proper trim helps ensure stable and efficient aircraft performance throughout the flight.
Q: Why do load control officers pay attention to no-show passengers?
Passenger numbers form part of an aircraft's loading calculations. When passengers do not board a flight as planned, load control officers may need to update weight and balance calculations, load sheets, or loading instructions to reflect the final passenger and baggage count.
Q: Which companies provide load control services?
Load control services are provided by specialised ground handling companies and airline operations teams, which support aircraft loading and weight-and-balance calculations before departure. Within the SATS Group network, SATS provides load control and aircraft weight and balance services at its Singapore Hub at Changi Airport, while WFS, a SATS company, provides load control support for airline customers at airports across the Americas.
