Flexjet has successfully completed its seventh Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Industry Audit Standard (IAS) audit. In 2009, it became the first company in the world to meet and pass the ACSF's rigorous standard.

The IAS is an all-encompassing aviation audit for Part 135 and Part 91 aircraft operators, the most comprehensive industry audit available. In April 2021, the IAS added the evaluation of an operator's compliance with FAR 14 CFR Part 5 SMS standards (the FAA SMS voluntary implementation programme) and ICAO Annex 19 safety management.

CEO Michael Silvestro says: “Flexjet's long relationship with the ACSF has helped us maintain our high safety standards and to continuously improve on them. Providing the safest environment for our aircraft owners and our employees is vitally important to our operations, and earning this seventh IAS registration through such an authority in the safety environment helps us maintain an objective assessment of our safety efforts.”

Designed by the ACFS, the IAS process consists of a comprehensive independent evaluation of an operator's compliance with safety and security regulations, as well as its safety management system, measured against FAA and ICAO standards. The resulting certification assures Flexjet customers and the industry alike that the company meets the highest standards of safety and compliance.

ACSF president Bryan Burns says: “Flexjet is truly a premier, elite operator. It maintains the world's highest standards for safety and security by actively participating in SMS, ASAP and FDM. Through the years, our criteria for IAS registry have become far more rigorous, making Flexjet's commitment to its auditing standards that much more impressive.”

This is one more in a long line of Flexjet's safety accolades and initiatives; earlier this year it declared its active conformance with the FAA's safety management system (SMS) and its 23rd FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance Technician Training.

As part of its ongoing efforts to detect and correct aircraft needs as early as possible, the company has adopted:

- GE Digital's Maintenance Insight software solution for its fleet operations, which detects aircraft and component degradation before even scheduled maintenance would catch it.

- Transmission of flight data wirelessly and instantly upon touchdown. This initiative strengthens the company's SMS and makes Flexjet the only US-based fractional provider to apply this technology fleet-wide.

“Flexjet's safety culture is present in everything we do, and this audit is among the accolades that confirm our commitment to providing the safest transportation for our aircraft owners as well as our employees,” says Silvestro. “We are proud to lead the industry in seeking and achieving the highest standards of safety and compliance as well as maintenance excellence.”