25 September 2020, Brussels  Furthering its commitment to help business aircraft operators and companies take substantial action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has launched two working groups tasked with defining guidelines for the sector’s bold initiative S.T.A.R.S. – Standards & Training for Aviation Responsibility and Sustainability.

Originally conceived by a group of young Business aviation professionals across Europe, and wholly supported by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the S.T.A.R.S. programme is a three-tiered set of standards and resources, which permits even the smallest of business aircraft operators and companies to receive accreditation for complying with progressive social and environmental best practices.

“The road to recovery from COVID-19 can and should happen in a sustainable way across all industries,” says EBAA Secretary-General Athar Husain Khan. “For Business aviation, S.T.A.R.S. aims to provide the guidance and resources to do so. We anticipate having the standards and the accompanying label ready to launch in early 2021.”

“Business aviation has always been a forward-thinking, self-regulating industry. It has long established global, voluntary safety standards to ensure safe operations in the air and on the ground,” adds Kurt Edwards, IBAC Secretary General. “The social and environmental guidance from S.T.A.R.S. will give operators, FBOs, ground handlers, maintenance providers, brokers, and the other businesses along the value chain a clear path towards further contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

The two EBAA working groups comprise individuals from major business aviation companies. They will develop the environmental and social standards, respectively. Once finalised, the standards will be integrated in the existing International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). They will also be available standalone for organisations that do not operate aircraft or provide ground services as part of their activities.

Employees from these companies and organisations are participating in the working groups:  

More information about S.T.A.R.S. can be found here.

Contact

Taunya Renson-Martin, EBAA Strategic Comms Advisor, +32 475 604 096, stratcomm@ebaa.org  

Marj Rose, IBAC Communications, +001 214-862-8992, comms@ibac.org

About EBAA

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) is the leading organisation for operators of business aircraft in Europe. Our mission is to enable responsible, sustainable growth for Business aviation, enhance connectivity and create opportunities. EBAA Works to improve safety standards and share knowledge, to further positive regulation and to ease all aspects of closely tailored, flexible, point to point air transportation for individuals, governments, businesses and local communities in the most time-efficient way possible.

Founded in 1977 and based in Brussels, EBAA represents +700 member companies, corporate operators, commercial operators, manufacturers, airports, fixed-based operators, and more, with a total fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft. We provide more than 50 products and services to the Business aviation community, including the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), Europe’s largest Business aviation trade show.

Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook or visit our website on http://www.ebaa.org

About IBAC

IBAC represents the interests of Business aviation worldwide. IBAC is a non-profit, international trade association with official observer status at the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN Specialized Agency for aviation matters, in Montreal, Canada. IBAC promotes and manages the industry-leading standards for best safety practices through its International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO™); International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH™); Safety Management Tool Kit; SMS eLearning training; and Aircrew Identification Card. www.ibac.org

About the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals came to life with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These goals were established as the guidelines for countries and companies to work towards making the world a more peaceful and prosperous place. Goals not only focus on humanitarian causes such as reducing inequality, ending poverty, and improving education, but also encouraging economic growth and stimulating climate action. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/