Story ID: 
IBAC Adjusts To Effects of Covid-19
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: The International Business Aviation Council has turned to virtual audits for IS-BAO and IS-BAH certifications.
Word Count: 196
Despite the effects of Covid-19 and various stay-at-home restrictions, the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is progressing on a variety of initiatives while continuing to accomplish hosting educational sessions and performing more than a half-dozen audits for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) program. “The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) and IS-BAO programs teams have shown genuine commitment and resilience these past few months,” wrote IBAC director general Kurt Edwards in an update on the Montreal-based organization’s website.

Specifically, IBAC conducted its first remote IS-BAO audit on March 30 of a Stage 3 operator based in Alaska by an auditor located in Atlanta. In all, IBAC has performed seven remote audits, with six more pending. It has also reformatted its two-day, eight-hour-long, in-person workshops to four-day, four-hour-long live webinars. It has held those workshops in the Asian and North American time zones and is planning one for the European/Middle East time zone.

In the meantime, IS-BAH global registrations at Stage 1 are nearing 230 locations since the program’s launch, with 111 of those achieving Stage 2 and three earning Stage 3. IBAC is also conducting virtual audits for IS-BAH registrations.