The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is unveiling a new look here at EBACE as well as debuting two new membership categories. The organization (Booth B031), which celebrates its 35th anniversary of representing business aviation on a global scale this year, premiered its new logo and announced the re-launch of its newly updated website, at a reception last night on the show floor. “It’s really bringing the association more into modern times, so to speak,” IBAC’s director general Kurt Edwards told AIN. “We haven’t updated our image since the organization was founded in the early 1980s. I think [we] provide a lot of value to the industry, and having an updated, more dynamic image helps us to show that.”
IBAC also announced the membership categories of Partners and Operator affiliates, with Bombardier Business Aircraft named as the association’s first Partner member. “If I look around at my member associations around the world, they also include membership and input from manufacturers and service providers, and that’s the fuller community,” noted Edwards, adding that the organization will establish an industry advisory group made up of its Partner members, which will have a voice on the IBAC governing board.
“We believe IBAC represents an increasingly important voice for business aviation, especially at ICAO, and we have all witnessed first-hand how it also interacts with numerous business jet operator associations worldwide,” said Leo Knaapen, Bombardier Business Aircraft’s chief of industry affairs. “We welcome this development and look forward to further supporting IBAC on issues and portfolios of significance to our entire segment.”
The Operator affiliate membership arose in response to industry requests, explained Edwards. “This came from a number of larger flight departments who said they support IBAC and want to make sure we can help it continue to grow and be more active and present for us.”
He added their participation is not a substitution for the local and regional business aviation groups that make up the core of IBAC’s constituency. “We’re not trying at all to supplant the member associations in what they do,” Edwards said. “They want to be able to demonstrate support for us and so this is the compromise.”
Annual membership in the two categories ranges from $2,500 for Operators up to $15,000 for Partners.
IS-BAH Discounts
The organization also noted the progress on its two sister programs, the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO) and its younger sibling the International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH). “Increasingly, what we are hearing from our operators and from the growing number of handlers is that they like the standard and they want to be recognized for undertaking it voluntarily. And we’re hearing from a number of national regulators that they are looking to it as a means of compliance. So these are two standards that are getting taken very seriously,” said Edwards.
Launched in 2001, IS-BAO now lists more than 720 operators on six continents who currently conform to industry best practices and standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Mexico recently became the latest government to accept IS-BAO accreditation as proof of regulatory compliance for its community of approximately 300 operators.
IS-BAH, which was introduced here at EBACE two years ago, had 14 registered business aviation handlers on four continents by the end of 2015. The association expects that number to rise to 25 by the end of this year, and anticipates soon welcoming its first accredited location in South America.
IBAC has introduced special bulk pricing initiatives for service providers with multiple locations, with discounts on multiple manuals, workshop participation and registrations. Individual FBOs and handlers who are members of an IBAC member association can also realize savings from a bundled package including manual, workshop, and registration, providing the process can be completed in one year from start.
“The introduction of pricing options allows both the single-facility FBO and those with multiple locations to better budget their investment toward safety initiatives in implementing the global code of best safety practice,” said Terry Yeomans, IBAC’s director of the IS-BAH program.
