IBAC Offers IS-BAH Self-declaration Option

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is introducing another option—self-declaration—to its safety-management-system-based International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program for ground handlers. Under this option, companies can subscribe to IS-BAH, receive the updated standard of industry best practices, and self-declare that they have adopted it into their operations, without undergoing the customary third-party audit.

“The introduction of this option simply allows organizations to use the globally recognized industry standard as a tool internally to determine their own performance against a now well-established industry standard benchmark,” said IBAC IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans He added that it could help them meet their obligations to safe operations and imminent regulatory oversight of ground-handling service providers.

Last year, the EU adopted safety regulations for ground handlers, with a transition period extending to 2028 for full compliance. Service providers are required to submit a formal declaration to authorities stating that they comply with the regulations. “Organizations should approach self-declaration with care and realize that customers or regulators may question the accuracy of the organization’s claims without a third-party review,” Yeomans explained.

Service providers choosing the self-declaration route will not be permitted to use the IS-BAH logo in advertising and will not be included in IBAC’s map of registered locations. In addition, they will be required to recertify every year, as opposed to every other year for the tiered, registered members of the program, which will remain unchanged.

Yeomans told AIN that all through the 12-year history of the program, there have been operators who have purchased and used the IS-BAH safety standards without registering in the program. “We want to make sure that we can still work with these people, make sure they get the up-to-date standards rather than using one that’s 12 years out of date,” he said. As for other operators who are considering IS-BAH registration, “We think that this offering is at least giving them that first step up to do something, and that’s really what it’s all about.”

There are 366 companies that have undergone audits and registered under the IS-BAH standard since its launch in 2014, the latest being Execaire Aviation at Canada’s Ottawa International Airport (CYOW).