At a recent meeting the Civil Aviation Ministry led by its Secretary Ashok Lavasa had with the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA), it was decided to review various rules governing air charters and non-scheduled operations and take steps to improve infrastructure and other facilities, to make general aviation viable business. The BAOA among other things sought a separate safety management system (SMS) for general aviation, different from the ones for scheduled airlines, as is the worldwide practice. One of the suggestions was introduction of International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO).

The Civil Aviation Secretary assured that adoption of IS-BAO as a means to comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) SMS requirements was under consideration for general aviation and business aviation (GA/BA) operators.

Realising the shortcomings relating to the subject of safety standards and standardisation affecting GA/BA operators, the BAOA in May 2012 constituted a Standards Committee to review and recommend changes and subsequently these were discussed with the regulatory authorities.

IS-BAO is Gold Standard

The IS-BAO, as a safety standard, is rapidly gaining acceptance globally by civil aviation regulators. It is considered the Gold Standard in Safety. The standard is well known in developed aviation markets such as the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. Over 700 aircraft operators globally are certified to the IS-BAO, under a registration/certification process overseen by the IBAC (International Business Aviation Council), whose office is co-located with the ICAO in Montreal, Canada.

The SMS is the cornerstone of the IS-BAO programme and includes ICAO Annex 6 Part II mandated SMS SARPS (Standards & Recommended Practices). The IS-BAO is based on ICAO SMS Framework & ISO Quality Systems. The IS-BAO combines the principles of SMS with international best practices (ICAO SARPS), all contained in a generic company operations manual (COM) that can be tailored to fit the specific size of GA/BA aircraft operators.

In India, the IS-BAO has been implemented by Punj Llyod Pte Ltd which has recently been certified/registered by the IBAC. Two other Indian NSOP operators are considering implementation of the IS-BAO.

Safety Culture

The travelling public is increasingly concerned about the safety of Indian skies. The many GA accidents (especially helicopters) and the airline crash at Mangalore involving the loss of many lives are clear indicators of the indifferent safety culture of Indian aviation. It is well established that safety and standards are two sides of the same coin. Hence, the statement of the aviation secretary to consider the IS-BAO as a standard is not only timely, but welcome. It indicates a refreshing change of government willingness to collaborate with the GA/BA industry experts, after a hiatus of decades!

Aviation safety culture needs to be seen in the Indian context. There is strong evidence that the transportation industry as a whole suffers from a poor safety record. Indian roads have a horrific safety record and it’s no different with Indian railways. A cursory study of other industries indicates a similar state of affairs. Whether it is the Upahaar cinema fire, the USFDA warning to the MD of Ranbaxy Labs in 2008 or even the Indian military, the overall safety culture in India, is well below internationally benchmarked best practices.

As a result of the Ranbaxy case, the pharma industry finally realised that “non-compliance is more expensive than compliance”. Not too different from the experience of our GA/BA industry post the downgrade it would appear!

Seen in the above context, deductive logic would seem to indicate that our aviation safety culture has a long way to go, before the confidence of the travelling public can be restored. A collaborative approach between the regulator and the industry is necessary, if safety deficiencies are to be addressed. This requires “change management” to be effected at the highest level of management, within both the stakeholders.

The repeated downgrade of the civil aviation regulatory authorities by ICAO and FAA, are clear indicators of the safety health of civil aviation in India. Often, foreign countries have denied entry of Indian GA/BA aircraft, till such time as proof of acceptable standards are provided by the operator. Unless a positive safety culture is established, future downgrades could continue to occur. The USAOP (Universal Safety Audit Oversight Programme), instituted by ICAO, has been framed for just such purpose. It is up to the regulator and the industry to prevent such action by benchmarking to international best practices.

It is in the above context, that the benefits of our GA/BA operators benchmarking standards to the IS-BAO becomes relevant, as a confidence building measure to international civil aviation authorities. A high safety standard is always good for business!

The author is an SMS instructor and IS-BAO auditor based in Bengaluru. He is a Managing Partner of CBAS Pvt Ltd that conducts aviation safety audits and MITRE-based SMS training. The views expressed are those of the author.