IS-BAO – It’s more than an SMS

This article is the sixth in a series to simplify the understanding of the SMS processes. The entire series can be found here.

History of ICAO Annex 6, Part II

Annex 6, Part II, International General Aviation – Aeroplanes, was first introduced in 1968. Since that time, a number of amendments have been made, but the basic structure of this Part remained geared towards a general aviation environment typically operated for recreational purposes, domestically as well as internationally.

Clearly, general aviation has changed significantly in the last four decades with the advent of complex technologies, more capable aircraft, and the maturing of the corporate aviation and fractional ownership industry sectors.  Annex 6, Part II was lagging behind the developments in general aviation and individual State regulators addressing general aviation operations were at risk of diverging from a necessary International standard.

The requirements of the new Section III are largely derived from, and rely heavily upon, a performance-based system.

The Seventh Edition of Annex 6, Part II, which becomes applicable on November 18, 2010, has been restructured into Sections and includes an entirely new Section III, Large and Turbojet Aircraft. The broad objectives of this Section are to update Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in order to enhance the safety of international general aviation operations, and to provide a regulatory framework that will enable States to harmonize their general aviation regulations.

The SMS is Only Part of Section III

The safety management system (SMS) is the rock star.  It is getting most of the attention by industry organizations and vendors of services.

The new Section III expands upon the basic provisions of Section II, and introduces specific provisions applicable to an operator, as opposed to the more limited owner/operator provisions of Section II.

Beyond the requirements for the SMS, Section III also includes a requirement for operators to:

  1. Notify a State when it bases its operations in a State other than the State of Registry;
  2. Develop operations manuals;
  3. Establish training programs; and
  4. Establish fatigue management programs.

The IS-BAO Advantage

The Seventh Edition of Annex 6, Part II arises from action by the Secretariat (ICAO Bureaus, Directors and Branches), with the assistance of the International Business Aviation Council (developer of the IS-BAO).  Corporate aviation has an excellent safety record.  For this reason the industry best practices was extensively drawn upon in creating the provisions of Section III.  The requirements of the new Section are largely derived from, and rely heavily upon, a performance-based system.

The SMS is the cornerstone of the IS-BAO.  It incorporates all if the applicable provisions of ICAO Annex 6, which means the IS-BAO registered operators meet the ICAO requirement.

Recently, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), which is the official standards setting body of the European Union, granted IS-BAO official European recognition as an industry standard for business aircraft operations.

Other States, such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, have announced that the IS-BAO is evidence of compliance with regulatory requirements applied by their civil aviation authorities.

It is anticipated that operators will be able to use their IS-BAO registration, in their declaration to the civil aviation authorities, as the means they use to meet the regulatory requirements and their associated responsibilities.

More on the IS-BAO requirements and implementation process in future articles.