July 28, 2016
The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program just began its third year with some good news: six more FBOs were registered in July, putting the industry-developed best practices program for ground handlers on track for a significant increase in participants by the end of this year.
The latest IS-BAH registrants are Clay Lacy Seattle, in Seattle, WA; Sonoma Jet Center, in San Jose, CA; Swissport Nice, in Nice, France; IAM Jet Centre, in Tortola; IAM Jet Centre, in Barbados and IAM Jet Centre, in Grenada.
IS-BAH, which is similar to the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, is a scalable, industry-developed code of best practices based on safety management system principles (SMS) adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization and other operations-critical industries.
“Becoming IS-BAH certified is a big achievement, and we congratulate the FBOs and business aviation handling agents around the world that have taken this big step toward implementing through to registration these industry-developed best practices,” said IS-BAH Program Director Terry Yeomans of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), which administers IS-BAH.
According to Yeomans, voluntarily implementing these professional ground-handling operations practices will build on the excellent safety record already established by business aviation. When FBOs and ground handlers become IS-BAH registered after successfully completing an independent third-party audit, they are demonstrating a clear commitment to safety excellence.
IS-BAH “is an important tool for aircraft operators when they know that their partners in the supply chain also have an SMS and are progressing through the registration stages,” said Yeomans.
“We are continuously assessing and, where necessary, improving the standards based on industry input, and all IS-BAH operators continue to have access to these as they progress through the stages of the registration process,” added Yeomans.
For FBOs and handling agents interested in learning more about the IS-BAH program, the essential first step is attending a day-long IBAC-approved “Fundamentals of IS-BAH” workshop. Yeomans noted that dedicated workshops for a particular company or FBO chain or network can also be facilitated.
Launched in 2014, the IS-BAH program welcomed 14 registered operators on four continents by the end of 2015, and IBAC expects that number to rise to 25 by the end of 2016.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.