EAN Aviation becomes first West African IS-BAH Stage 1 registered company

EAN Aviation, the Lagos-based business aviation services company, has become the first West African IS-BAH Stage 1 registered Fixed Based Operator, and only the second organization to earn the status in all of Africa. The IS-BAH Stage 1 certificate was awarded by IBAC on March 31, 2017.

The certification is the culmination of a nearly three-year process which began in 2014 when EAN embarked on a mission to harmonize its operating and safety practices with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) SMS framework, the International Standards for Business Aircraft Handling Standards, industry standards and recommended best practices.

Since then EAN Aviation has made a significant commitment in terms of time and financial investment to achieve the prestigious status. EAN’s Quality and Safety Manager who led the certification, Labaeka Ibrahim, attended the Fundamentals of IS-BAH and IS-BAH Auditing Workshops in Dubai, UAE.  A series of eight organizational manuals were developed covering topics including ground operations, flight dispatch, safety management, customer relations, emergency response and more, in accordance with the ICAO Safety Management System framework and IS-BAH Standard Manual.

EAN’s operations and management personnel participated in over eleven in-house and international aviation training sessions covering Safety Management Systems, Air Transport of Dangerous Goods, Aviation Security, Ramp Safety, Organization Indoctrination and Procedures, Aircraft Systems and Types, Emergency Response and IS-BAH Fundamental Awareness. The team also underwent the National Air Transport Association (NATA) Professional Line Service Training (PLST), both initial and renewal.

“We have now an international certification to validate our level of safety compliance with international standards and an ingrained safety culture. The core of IS-BAH is the implementation of a Safety Management System, giving confidence to our international customers, and other stakeholders, that our fixed based operations and ground handling are world class,” said Segun Demuren, CEO and founder of EAN Aviation. “Aside from the lengthy preparation that spanned nearly three years, our investment has paid off. We are very proud to have achieved this important recognition as we continually work hard to meet international expectations.”

The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handlers (IS-BAH), developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), is a set of global industry best practices for business aviation ground handlers that features at its core a safety management system (SMS). EAN plans to maintain the required levels of service through continuous compliance to the ICAO Safety Management System framework and IS-BAH standards. EAN intends to commence preparation for the IS-BAH Stage 2 certification within the third quarter of 2017.