Story ID: 
EU endorses IS-BAO standard
By: AIN Staff
Caption: The European Union has granted the International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) offici
Word Count: 257
The European Union has granted the International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) official recognition as an industry standard for business aircraft operations.The official endorsement will facilitate recognition of the IS-BAO in the upcoming European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Implementing Rules system. It is anticipated that non-commercial operators of complex aircraft will be able to use their IS-BAO registration in their declaration to the civil aviation authorities to meet the regulatory requirements and their associated responsibilities. Because a safety management system (SMS) will be required of all commercial operations and operators of complex aircraft engaged in non-commercial operations under an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulation, the IS-BAO includes an SMS Toolkit that can be used to develop an appropriate and effective safety management system.It is also expected that national regulatory authorities will take into account IS-BAO registration in their regulatory oversight of business aviation operators engaged in commercial operations.IBAC introduced the IS-BAO program in 2002 as a code of best practices. “The IS-BAO was developed as a professional safety code of practice for business aviation operators, and we encourage those operators to move forward with IS-BAO implementation so that they will be ready for the upcoming EASA Implementing Rules,” said Brian Humphries, president and CEO of the European Business Aviation Association.Although IS-BAO has been recognized by the EU and ICAO, it has not received formal backing from the U.S. As a member of ICAO, the FAA is supposed to develop SMS guidelines for U.S. operators.