Story ID: 
Ground Handling Standard Celebrates 10th Anniversary
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Since its launch in 2014, more than 300 companies have participated in the voluntary safety program
Word Count: 217
The International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The audit-based program of industry best practices was initially developed in collaboration with NATA in 2014 and follows IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations principles, offering a professional code of practice and a safety management system (SMS) as the foundation.
IS-BAH was the ground handling industry’s first standard to incorporate the SMS concept. Additionally, it enables FBOs and other ground handlers to quickly adapt to any current and future safety requirements that regulators may enact.
The program has three levels of achievement along its path and as of last month, 310 handlers had received the initial Stage 1 registration, 202 have progressed to Stage 2, and 30 companies worldwide have achieved the highest, Stage 3, with the first announced in 2018.
“I am proud of the IBAC team who helped the pathway to success of the IS-BAH, as well as the hundreds of organizations that have committed to go above and beyond in implementing—through to registration—this purely voluntary safety standard for the business aviation sector,” said program director Terry Yeomans. “The IS-BAH-registered [ground handling service providers] gain independently verified recognition for adopted management with safety as its core value.”