A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is introducing another option—self-declaration—to its safety-management-system-based International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program for ground handlers. Under this option, companies can subscribe to IS-BAH, receive the updated standard of industry best practices, and self-declare that they have adopted it into their operations, without undergoing the customary third-party audit.
“The introduction of this option simply allows organizations to use the globally recognized industry standard as a tool internally to determine their own performance against a now well-established industry standard benchmark,” said IBAC IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans He added that it could help them meet their obligations to safe operations and imminent regulatory oversight of ground-handling service providers.
Last year, the EU adopted safety <a href="https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/regulations/ground-handling">regulations</a> for ground handlers, with a transition period extending to 2028 for full compliance. Service providers are required to submit a formal declaration to authorities stating that they comply with the regulations. “Organizations should approach self-declaration with care and realize that customers or regulators may question the accuracy of the organization’s claims without a third-party review,” Yeomans explained.
Service providers choosing the self-declaration route will not be permitted to use the IS-BAH logo in advertising and will not be included in IBAC’s map of registered locations. In addition, they will be required to recertify every year, as opposed to every other year for the tiered, registered members of the program, which will remain unchanged.
Yeomans told AIN that all through the 12-year history of the program, there have been operators who have purchased and used the IS-BAH safety standards without registering in the program. “We want to make sure that we can still work with these people, make sure they get the up-to-date standards rather than using one that’s 12 years out of date,” he said. As for other operators who are considering IS-BAH registration, “We think that this offering is at least giving them that first step up to do something, and that’s really what it’s all about.”
There are 366 companies that have undergone audits and registered under the IS-BAH standard since its <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2014-05-22/ibac-unveils-best-practices-fbos-ground-handlers">launch</a> in 2014, the latest being Execaire Aviation at Canada’s Ottawa International Airport (CYOW).

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

IBAC Offers IS-BAH Self-declaration Option

Under the new route, ground handlers can skip the audit

IBAC is now offering a self-declaration option for its International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling, a growing collection of industry best practices.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Peter Shaw-Smith

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Gama Aviation is dramatically increasing space with Sharjah Center

FBO Profile: Gama’s Sharjah Center Turning from Alternative to Advantage

Development is due to open in late 2028

New FBO To Land at Puerto Rico’s San Juan Airport 

The company says customers should do due diligence prior to picking a service provider

Evaluate FBOs on More Than a Fancy Terminal: Altea

Amy Wilder

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

Partnership with fuel supply group begins in August 2026

Granite Air Center FBO Joins Titan Fuels Network

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Organization provided $2.7 million in donated flights last year

AeroAngel Opens Headquarters at Centennial Airport

The South Florida location had operated from a temporary facility at KOPF

Jet Aviation Inaugurates Miami-Opa Locka FBO

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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