FBO and ground handler ACI Jet, which also offers corporate aircraft management, charter and maintenance, has been awarded IS-BAH Stage II certification from IBAC for its FBO operations at John Wayne airport. IS-BAH is the global industry standard for handlers and FBOs and is designed to meet SMS requirements from ICAO, according to IBAC.

With three years of work from the entire team, the Orange County FBO joined the ranks of fewer than 150 FBOs worldwide to be awarded this certification. ACI started the IS-BAH Stage I process for their Orange County location in the summer of 2018, achieving that certification by the end of the same year. From there, the team dedicated their time to training, inspections, reporting and audits in order to engrain safety awareness and procedures into every aspect of the culture. While Stage I was about putting safety procedures in place and training employees to follow them, Stage II has been about making reporting a habitual part of the daily operations.

“Over the last four years, we've made it our goal to develop and instil a safety culture that is proactive,” says Andrew Robillard, VP of ACI Jet FBOs. “Achieving IS-BAH Stage II is a testament to how far we've come. It's a solid foundation for us to build on, and continue to grow the safety culture in aviation.” Today, most of the reports submitted to management through the SMS are proactive, with an emphasis placed on finding ways to improve safety protocols before problems arise.

This attention to safety grew in significance following ACI Jet securing its 35 year lease win at John Wayne in 2020. Being awarded the entire east side parcel of the airport yielded nearly double the previously occupied operations area and significantly increased the volume of ramp operations, especially for the ground support crew. A built-in safety mindset is vital for the fast-paced ramp and rapid growth at an airport with such a heavy GA traffic.

FBO GM Nathen Steiger concludes: “It is an honor to be recognised as an IS-BAH Stage II FBO. ACI Jet takes great pride in maintaining a high level of safety and experience for all of our customers.”