MONTREAL – December 2, 2020 – The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has announced the new International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO) Progressive Stage 3 Programme (PS3) as a new Stage 3 option offered to all qualified IS-BAO registered operators. The beta transition leadership team of operators designed and tested the PS3 over the course of two years.

“This was one of our Vision 2020 initiatives and I am excited to announce this advanced option is now available to the legacy IS-BAO Stage 3 group,” acknowledged Bennet Walsh, Director of the IS-BAO Programme. “Most of the beta PS3 leadership team have been successfully registered as an IS-BAO operator for 10-15 years and have gone through three or more Stage 3 audits so their input was crucial to the development of this programme.”

The Progressive Stage 3 (PS3) was built by operators, for operators, that are looking for a way to advance their Stage 3 safety system, share data, and take advantage of opportunities to mentor and share their best practices with others. The PS3 beta team included both large and small corporate IS-BAO Stage 3 operators with mature safety management systems as well as the Progressive Auditor group.

“The PS3 initiative demonstrates that business aircraft operators can go beyond simply implementing SMS,” said Kurt Edwards, IBAC Director General. “They can emphasize continuous improvement, develop mature safety cultures, and share safety knowledge and experience with peers and those earlier along the SMS path. We look forward to growing a truly global PS3 community of operators and Progressive Auditors and further enhancing business aviation safety.”

One of the key benefits that comes with PS3 is the innovative one-day progressive auditing process that features a specific credentialed Progressive Auditor that is based in the operator’s region of the world. Representing the best of the best in their field, IS-BAO credentialed Progressive Auditors are invited by IBAC from the experienced auditor corps, and are highly standardized and aligned to the Programme, similar to a check airman or state designated examiner. The audit is low impact and allows the operator to focus on relevant areas that might have more room for improvement.

The new IS-BAO Progressive Stage 3 benefits include:

- Access to exclusive IS-BAO safety database (PS3 shared de-identified data), provided by Baldwin Safety & Compliance

- Provides a tailored schedule of audit chapters relevant to the operator

- Interaction and audit support from highly qualified and credentialed Progressive Auditors

- Provides additional pathways for continuous improvement

- Opportunities to participate in IS-BAO progress

- PS3 leadership opportunities

- Long-term model with subscription options to simplify program management, planning and budgeting.

An informative webinar has been created and can be viewed from the IBAC.org website to further introduce the PS3 program and includes input from representatives from the PS3 Leadership Team of operators and auditors. Contact the IS-BAO team for details on how to get started now at isbao@ibac.org.

“The mission we share always includes continuous improvement,” added Walsh. “And these Stage 3 operators live and breath it every day. I am very proud of the PS3 leadership team and the newly credentialed Progressive Auditors that have gone above and beyond to help develop this innovative programme. I am honored to work along side them all as we strive for risk reduction in a mature culture and other value adds. We look forward to many more Stage 3 operators transitioning to PS3 in the near future.”

Media contact: Marj Rose, IBAC Communications Consultant, comms@ibac.org

About IBAC: IBAC represents the interests of business aviation worldwide. IBAC is a non-profit, international trade association with official observer status at the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN Specialized Agency for aviation matters, in Montreal, Canada. IBAC promotes and manages the industry-leading standards for best safety practices through its International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAOTM); International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAHTM); Safety Management Tool Kit; SMS eLearning training; and Aircrew Identification Card. www.ibac.org