the aircraft operators they serve. The Safety 1st Professional Line Service Training (PLST) Online is the standard for training line service professionals and is recognized around the world as a comprehensive training solution. The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) is a joint effort between NATA and IBAC. IS-BAH is a set of global industry best prac- tices for business aviation ground handlers, which fea- tures at its core a safety management system (SMS). The IS-BAH follows the structure of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Program and incorporates the previously offered NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. IS-BAH is the global industry standard for handlers and operators around the world to meet future SMS requirements from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). IS-BAH offers FBOs and Business Aircraft Handling Agents (BAHA) a scalable, industry-developed code of best practice centered around SMS principles adopted by ICAO and other operations-critical industries. Conforming to these standards and recommended practices is voluntary and may be self-administered. Those FBO/BAHAs seeking independent recognition of con- formity to the IS-BAH can do so via a third-party audit- ing process providing an effective way to take a ground service organization beyond compliance and demon- strate to the regulator, customers and other stakehold- ers, that risks are understood and actively managed. What Can Operators Do to Evaluate FBO Safety Performance? Operators have a shared responsibility to thoroughly vet their selected ground handlers. Not only do air- craft operators have some responsibility in their ground handling, they drive the system that provides it. There are few advertising professionals who would like to say the spread of the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, IS-BAO, Wyvern Wingman, AR/ GUS Audit Standard, and others is simply due to good marketing. Maybe some of it is, but the reality is that companies have adopted those standards in droves, not for purely altruistic reasons, but in part because the market ■■ demands it. Over time, more and more charter brokers started asking operators about their SMS and training via those certifications. In a lot of cases, aircraft opera- tors are audited thoroughly with respect to their safety performance, and the consumer market has made this the norm. At present, FBOs are not facing the same commer- cial pressure to conform to safety and training standards. If we want FBOs to better mesh with our own safety management systems, then we have to decide as an industry that SMS is important to us. That importance is reflected in how we choose ground service providers. In many cases, this decision is left to flight crews; and few operators have formal methods for evaluating FBOs, especially with respect to safety. In practice, most flight crews believe they are selecting an FBO with the best interests of the company in mind; however, crews are often choosing providers without consideration for fac- tors senior management believe are being checked. So, how best to evaluate an FBO and support a collab- orative effort to keep passengers, crews and aircraft safe? ■■ Ask an operator if they are IS-BAH Registered and at which stage. IBAC’s website allows users to confirm registration, so checking audit reg- istration status is easy (www.ibac.org). ■■ Confirm NATA Safety 1st has a website that allows users to check not only Safety 1st an interactive map at www.fbostatus.com. ■■ Phone interviews conducted by dispatchers or flight coordinators, ops personnel, or even by flight crews using a standardized template of questions can help provide confidence that the FBO is using pro- cesses and systems that align with your own SMS. Audits of FBO facilities by company person- nel can be used in lieu of IS-BAH registra- tion, but are time- and travel-intensive. Make sure that auditors are trained, and that audits are conducted thoroughly and consistently. ■■ Flight crew input can be valuable, but crews must be trained to evaluate to a clear company standard. status, but IS-BAH registry using training currency. NATA Continued on page 55 Aviation Business Journal | 2nd Quarter 2017 53
