Story ID: 625
New Organization Aims to Assist Service Providers
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The fledgling International Aviation Services Organization made its debut in Geneva.
Word Count: 367
With EBACE being one of Europe’s largest annual gatherings of aviation professionals, the founders of the International Aviation Services Organization (IASO) chose the gathering as the stage to announce its launch last night in an off-site reception and dinner.

“Our goal is to improve safety and facilitate the highest standards in aviation services, working closely with established industry organizations to see how they can benefit in becoming an IASO member,” said Munir Khalifa, the non-profit organization’s president and founder. Though the timing of the launch might suggest the organization will cater specifically to business aviation, its organizers have set their sights on support for all aspects of aviation.

“IASO’s main objective is to organize, represent, educate and support the world’s aviation services industry into one representative block that will give its members a greater profile and a stronger, clearer voice,” said board member and operations manager Roy Barnett. “It’s very clear to IASO that we don’t want to compete with IATA or IBAC or ACI or anyone, we just want to be another set of helping hands.”

While its founders note the new organization is still a work in progress, they promise economy-of-scale benefits to members in areas such as insurance, fuel, and assistance in dispute-arbitration resolution.

IASO will also feature a program known as the aviation ground services support tool (AGSA), an assessment process based primarily on the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) standard, where members can undergo a confidential introspective onsite review of their business with the aim of making it safer, more efficient and more cost-effective. The company says it will establish similar offerings for other service segments. “We have a team that we are developing that will do these assessments, and each one of these assessors will have a very comprehensive knowledge of the ISAGO,” said Barnett. “In other areas we will go out and canvas the best practices for that industry.”

The organization, which includes the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) as one of its founding members, will offer a tiered level of membership with annual dues starting at $3,000 a year.