April 8, 2015
American Aero FTW is the first fixed-base operator (FBO) in the Western Hemisphere to be awarded a new safety and ground handling accreditation from the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC).
American Aero received the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) certificate of registration March 23 from IBAC officials during NBAA’s annual International Operators Conference in San Antonio, TX. American Aero, which is located at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, TX, focuses on the refueling, ground handling and storing of general aviation aircraft.
“NBAA congratulates American Aero on this important achievement,” said Mark Larsen, NBAA’s senior manager of safety and flight operations. “The business aviation community has long had a strong focus on safety, and the rigorous standards recently established by IS-BAH will help our industry set the bar even higher.”
Like the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), which is designed for companies that fly business airplanes, IS-BAH is a global, voluntary code of best practices for ground handlers. It is aimed at avoiding ground mishaps and protecting people on the ramp. Riggs Brown, American Aero’s general manager, described IS-BAH as “the logical extension of the safety envelope,” and noted that “aircraft safety does not end when the engines are shut down and the aircraft is chocked.”
To receive IS-BAH accreditation, an FBO must undergo an audit of its safety management systems, emergency procedures, organizational structure, administrative elements, security procedures, training protocols and operating procedures.
IS-BAH was launched in July 2014 by IBAC and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and replaces NATA’s Ground Audit Standard. In February, SRC Aviation Ltd. of New Delhi, India, became the first company to be certified under the new standard.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.