Founded

1981

Headquarters

Montreal

Key People

Kurt Edwards, director general

Number of Employees

11–50

Phone Number

(514) 954-8054

Website

International Business Aviation Council

International Business Aviation Council

The International Business Aviation Council represents business aircraft owners, operators, and industry associates from 15 member associations on six continents through its status as an official observer at the International Civil Aviation Organization. It also provides IS-BAO/IS-BAH standards and safety programs as well as services such as the internationally recognized Aircrew Identification Card. 

Established in 1981 by representatives of five business aviation associations from Europe and North America, IBAC became an ICAO official observer in 1982 and launched its Aircrew Identification Card program in 1983. Setting up offices in the ICAO headquarters building in Montreal in 1990, IBAC representatives launched advocacy efforts and subsequently became an official observer on several ICAO technical panels, including the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection.   

In 2002 IBAC announced its International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations program, based on ICAO standards and recommended practices. Operators implement the program and undergo audits of their safety management systems (SMS) to establish Stage 1, 2, or 3 IS-BAO compliance, which reflects operational efficiencies and a safety-culture level and potentially earns preferred insurance rates for the operator. In 2014, IBAC launched a similar program, International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling, designed for ground-handling service providers, although corporate flight departments that handle their own aircraft can also implement IS-BAH.

ICAO began accepting IBAC-drafted recommendations to modernize international operation rules for corporate aircraft in 2006. In 2009—eight years before the ICAO adopted carbon dioxide (CO2) emission standards—IBAC and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association jointly issued the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, setting goals to improve fuel efficiency, achieve carbon-neutral growth, and reduce CO2 emissions in specified time frames.

IBAC joined the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition in 2019 to promote fuel alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The council has also worked on the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) that ICAO approved in March 2020. 

IBAC added Industry Partner and Operator Affiliate membership categories and created an Industry Advisory Group (IAG) in 2016. The organization’s staff consists of a secretariat managed by the director general to carry out daily operations and directives from a governing board composed of representatives from each of the 15 member organizations and the IAG.