Meridian Air Company has become the first Russian business jet operator to receive the top Stage III certificate of conformity with the International Standard of Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). With this achievement, the air operator will strengthen its presence in both domestic and international markets.

The IS-BAO standard was developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) with its headquarters located in Montreal. 

The IBAC auditors examined the Safety Management System and the Quality Management System of Meridian Air Company in detail and concluded that the level of both systems was in full compliance with the top international regulations.

“During the audit for IS-BAO Stage III certification, flight safety is evaluated not only in terms of documentation, but also by interviewing the personnel. The auditor may come to any employee and ask any question, for instance, when was the last time the employee reported to the management about his errors voluntarily, when he attended a flight safety meeting and so on. The goal of such interview is to assure if flight safety is part of each and every employee`s work. If you expect your personnel to be ready for such examination, you cannot train them to memorize correct answers to those questions; what you require is a systematic approach to training, regular internal audits and inspections. These days, our team consists of highly responsible employees who are entirely reliable, and this is a result of years-long and deliberate personnel management,” said Vladimir Lapinskiy, CEO of Meridian Air Company. 

During the audit the IBAC auditors evaluated the level of risk management in Meridian Air Company and carried out full examination of corporate documentation including meeting minutes, records, checklists; they also studied the results of audits conducted by state authorities and performed aircraft inspections.

“When we started preparing for our first IBAC audit and implementing international standards five years ago, we improved efficiency of all corporate processes in our company. During these years, we have integrated the following tools into our daily business: Risk Management System, Voluntary Reporting System, Change Management; we have created continuous flight safety training for the personnel and receive effective feedback from every employee in the airline. We truly hope that our recognition received from the International Business Aviation Council will give an impulse to improving service quality of Russian air operators and will contribute to developing the whole aviation industry in the country,” said Yury Larchenkov, Deputy CEO of Meridian Air Company.