Press Release

Issued by The Air Charter Association.

June 2, 2015

ARGUS International, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) has officially endorsed the ARGUS Certified Charter Broker program. During EBACE, a new version of the charter broker audit standard was released. ARGUS has two European-based auditors available to conduct audits for the European charter brokers. BACA is the largest and longest standing organization focused on the air charter brokerage industry in the world. ARGUS is the most recognized source of independent, unbiased information supporting the due diligence requirements of the global air charter marketplace.

Some of the fastest growing companies in the air charter industry are brokers. However, the air charter brokerage business is largely unregulated, leaving room for unfair competition and improprieties that can financially or otherwise harm aircraft operators and their end consumers. BACA has been promoting the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in the air charter brokerage business since 1949, and has built a membership of more than 200 leading companies in the aviation marketplace. ARGUS has developed its Certified Air Charter Broker program over several years and with much industry input, to allow professional air charter brokers a recognized and respected venue to inform aircraft operators and charter consumers of the great lengths they have gone to in developing their business.

"Being very familiar with ARGUS and their charter operator rating and TripCHEQ programs, we were very intrigued to learn more about their Certified Charter Broker program", stated Tony Coe, BACA chairman. "We quickly became impressed with their attention to appropriate and applicable details and desire to seek our guidance relative to making their standard applicable around the globe." BACA deputy chairman, Volker Meissner added, "When ARGUS approached us to ask if they could use the BACA code of practice as the annual pledge of commitment by their participating charter brokers, as required by their program, we felt confident that our priorities were aligned with ARGUS relative to the underlying principles of their program."

Joe Moeggenberg, president and ceo of ARGUS commented, "ARGUS has tremendous respect for BACA's reputation and influence in the air charter brokerage industry, and we feel honored to receive their endorsement. We also recognize the importance of staffing locally-based auditors for the European charter brokers and look forward to working closely with the brokers who commit to raising the bar and setting the standard for the rest."

The ARGUS Certified Charter Broker Program contains two levels of recognition, ARGUS Registered and ARGUS Certified. A Registered Charter Broker provides ARGUS with documented proof of specific requirements, and annually pledges their commitment to adhering to industry best practices and applicable regulations. A Certified Charter Broker will submit the same documentation and annual pledge, and additionally will undergo an on-site audit, once every two years, to prove their compliance with industry best practices and applicable regulations. Any willful misrepresentation or proven violation of industry best practices or legal requirements can cause a company the loss of their ARGUS Registered or Certified status. ARGUS will maintain the official registry on their website and integrate those ratings with other web-sites that make charter broker information available to the public or marketplace.