Press Release

Issued by International Business Aviation Council.

March 24, 2015

American Aero FTW, a fixed base operator (FBO) located at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, today became the first FBO in the western hemisphere to be issued a rigorous new safety and ground handling accreditation from the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC).

American Aero was awarded the IBAC International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS- BAH) certificate of registration. IBAC officials made the announcement at the annual International Operators Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

"We would like to congratulate the entire team at American Aero FTW for this tremendous achievement," said Terry Yeomans, IS-BAH program director for the IBAC. "By adopting the IS-BAH code of best practice, American Aero has made a clear commitment to demonstrate its leadership in safety management and risk mitigation."

IS-BAH is a global, voluntary code of best practices for the FBO and business aviation handling agent (BAHA) communities, created for the industry by the industry. It incorporates the safety management system (SMS) concept in all aspects of FBO/BAHA operations and is complementary with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) used by their operator clients.

"American Aero is proud to be the first FBO in this part of the world to earn this prestigious accreditation," said American Aero general manager Riggs Brown. "IS-BAH is the logical extension of the safety envelope, and it sets an international standard for operations in business and general aviation aircraft ground handling.

"At American Aero, we understand that aircraft safety does not end when the engines are shut down and the aircraft is chocked," Brown added. "This voluntary accreditation clearly demonstrates that we deliver the best and safest services in the industry."

IS-BAH accreditation involves a complete audit of an FBO's safety management systems, emergency procedures, organizational structure, administrative elements, security procedures, training protocols, and operating procedure. Certificates of registration are issued by IBAC to FBOs and BAHAs that have successfully demonstrated conformity to the industry's best practice standards through completion of a three-stage external audit by an IBAC accredited auditor.

Launched in July 2014, the IS-BAH is a joint program between IBAC and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). It incorporates the NATA Safety 1st ground audit program and follows the long-established structure of the IS-BAO program.