Airport_Business_February-March_2020 - 27

IS-BAH
SINCE ITS inception in July of 2014, the International
Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH)
has become an industry standard. The program,
designed to "promote use of industry best practices
blended through a progressive Safety Management
System (SMS) for ground handling service providers
(GHSPs) for the business and general aviation
sector, including fixed based operations (FBO) and
business aircraft handling agencies (BAHA)," has
been adopted the world over.
Terry Yeomans, program director
of IS-BAH, said that, as of writing, the
current figures show that 207 locations
have achieved IS-BAH Stage 1, with
70 of those at Stage 2 and two more
locations at Stage 3.
Each stage of IS-BAH builds upon
the next. Stage 1 confirms an SMS
infrastructure has been adopted and
safety management procedures are
being appropriately targeted. Stage 2
ensures the location's safety management
procedures are continuing and any safety
risks are being effectively identified and
managed. Stage 3 verifies the safety
management procedures are fully
integrated into the location's operations
and they're being sustained.
Yeomans said he's been pleased by
the adoption of IS-BAH and the quick
growth the program has seen since
2014. He adds that a large part of the
willingness of FBOs to take on the
program is thanks to the positive word
of mouth from those already enrolled.
"I'm pleasantly surprised at the
geographical spread of those who have
now adopted through to registration
the IS-BAH and the range from small,
two persons, to the large networks and
chains that employ hundreds. That's
what we had hoped for, but to see it
this early in the program is a positive for
all. It's been helped by the willingness
of the trailblazing FBOs - not only to
support the management of safety in their
operations, but to suggest their peers do
the same," Yeomans said.
Some of the common feedback
Yeomans said he's received from IS-BAH
accredited locations are that while it
can be tough when first adopting, it's
ultimately more than worthwhile in the
long run. Part of that can be, as Yeomans

notes, due to a perceived overcomplication
on the part of an FBO when developing
and implementing an SMS.
"SMS is just organized common sense.
The difficult bit is building trust in the
system and realizing that sometimes you
have to go back to go forwards more
effectively. The SMICG manual 'SMS for
Small Operators' is a good document to
use for reference to start off," Yeomans
explains. "We always let people know
that they should take their time and not
rush it. Inch by inch is a cinch; yard by
yard is hard."

Seeing the Benefit
E xec uJet , wh ich m a n a g e s 2 6
international FBOs on behalf of
Luxaviation Group, has 11 IS-BAH
accredited locations. Their Berlin FBO
was the first German location to receive
IS-BAH Stage 1 accreditation in 2015
and is currently Stage 2 accredited. In
total, six of ExecuJet's locations have
become Stage 2 accredited - Brussels,
Dubai International, Dubai South,
Johannesburg, Zürich, as well as Berlin.
Ettore Poggi, president - fixed based
operations, Luxaviation Group, said they
saw the benefit of the IS-BAH adoption
soon after the program's launch.
"We recognized the significance of
IS-BAH very early on and identified it
as an opportunity to further exhibit our
commitment to exhibiting the highest
standards in terms of safety and service,"
Poggi said. "Since adopting the IS-BAH
accreditation, we have directly seen an
increase in safety awareness, a decrease
in incidents and a number of commercial
benefits, including operators opting to
use IS-BAH certified locations."
Another early adopter of IS-BAH,
American Aero FTW achieved IS-BAH

Stage 1 accreditation in February 2015,
Stage 2 in February 2017 and Stage 3 in
October of 2018. American Aero was the
first FBO in the western hemisphere to
make Stage 2 accreditation and the first
in the world to achieve Stage 3.
From it's first introduction in 2014,
American Aero FTW saw IS-BAH as the
new standard of safety and something
worthwhile to pursue.
"When IS-BAH was first introduced
in 2014, we understood that this was about
establishing a rigorous new safety standard
for ground handling. Our founder and
management team understood the value
and determined immediately that we
would lead the industry in this effort,"
says Angela Thurmond, general manager
of American Aero FTW. "We knew
we could achieve IS-BAH registration
because American Aero already had a
culture in place that constantly sought out
ways to improve safety. While earning
IS-BAH registration is a challenging
process, we found it easier to adapt to the
IS-BAH mentality because of our existing
philosophy of constant improvement for
the benefit of our customers."
A f f i l iated w ith a cor porate
f light department that has achieved
International Standard for Business
Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Level 3
certification, American Aero received
guidance from their aff iliate when
beginning the IS-BAH process.
"The affiliated f light department
has traveled the world and experienced
FBOs of all types. With that guidance,
American Aero has adopted the best
features of the best FBOs - and then
raised them a notch," Thurmond
describes. "With help from its sponsoring
flight department, American Aero did not
hesitate to pursue IS-BAH certification
when it was first introduced."
Thurmond describes American
Aero's leap from Stage 2 to Stage 3
accreditation as a natural progression
of the safe environment they provide
for their customers and employees.
Though to ensure they made the
progression, American Aero followed
four specif ic steps: Retooling and
expanding their safety performance
indicators; strengthening the relationship
between their safety manager and their
accountable executive; increasing their
emergency response plan drills; and

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