IBAC Congratulates Joby Aviation on Becoming First eVTOL/AAM to Adopt IS-BAO Safety Standard

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) congratulates Joby Aviation on becoming the first advanced air mobility (AAM) company to achieve the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO™) registration, which highlights their commitment to safety.

Kurt Edwards, IBAC Director General commented, “Joby Aviation is a leader in advanced air mobility.  We congratulate them on achieving Stage 1 IS-BAO and look forward to working with them and others in this evolving aviation segment to demonstrate excellence in safety and continuous improvement.”

Andrew Karas, Director IS-BAO Programme, said, “It’s exciting to see Joby make this commitment to safety in their operation from the start. They have been active in our IS-BAO AAM working group and contributed to the adaptation process of the standard to this new sector. Our team has enjoyed working with the Joby safety team and admire their hard work and professionalism.”   

Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby Aviation, said, “Achieving this milestone is an important step towards developing our operational muscle and we’re grateful to the team at IBAC for their leadership in this space.”

As the globally recognized voluntary safety standard, IS-BAO assists operators in applying industry best practices by challenging them to review and compare their safety-related policies, processes, and procedures and then make improvements, elevating them to a global standard. IS-BAO was developed by the business aviation community and is designed to promote high-quality operating practices by establishing a framework for effective safety and operational processes, providing tools to facilitate the implementation and deliver a safety management system (SMS) appropriate to all operational profiles. 

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.