NBAA is appealing for an extension beyond the March 13 deadline for comments on the FAA’s proposal to require charter operators, air tours, and manufacturers to implement safety management systems (SMS). The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) released on January 10 would update and extend Part 5 SMS requirements to Part 135 outfits, certain Part 21 certificate holders, and air tours operating under FAR 91.147.
Joining the National Air Transportation Association in a call for an extension, NBAA director of safety and flight operations Mark Larsen noted the proposal covers an extensive scope of operations. “We believe the industry has a crucial role to play in helping make SMS a workable solution for the broad array of operations that would be affected by this proposal,” he said. “Additional time will be needed to fully evaluate the proposed additions for Part 5 and their impact on affected stakeholders.”
At the same time, NBAA fully supports SMS, he added. “We’ve seen how SMS directly benefits the safety of business aviation stakeholders that have adopted such programs voluntarily,” Larsen said. “Their experiences also highlight that, for any SMS to be a truly effective solution, it must be tailored to the size and complexity of the operation. Our review of the FAA’s NPRM will closely examine if such scalability would be possible under the changes proposed by the agency.”