Sharjah, 25 April 2016 – Gama Aviation Plc, the global aviation services company, has received the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) accreditation at its Middle Eastern regional headquarters in Sharjah, UAE.IS-BAO is a global standard established by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) to develop consistent safety procedures around the world and establish high quality flight operations. This accreditation follows on from Gama Aviation being awarded certification from IBAC for its aircraft handling, the first FBO in the Middle East to receive this, and places Gama Aviation Middle East in the unique position of having dual approvals within their Air and Ground Businesses.IS-BAO is designed to enhance operational safety though proactive measures, engender an increased focus on developing a safety-first culture and enhance the ability to measure safety performance. As a global standard it also helps business aircraft operators meet the requirements laid out by aviation regulators, such as the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This provides operational benefits to clients in that it can streamline approval processes and also lead to reduced insurance rates for aircraft operations.Gama Aviation’s General Manager at Sharjah, Richard Lineveldt comments: “The implementation of the International Standards for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO) was the next step in the development of our regional Safety, Quality and Operations Management structures which have been in place since the award of our UAE AOC in 2010. It was an excellent way to benchmark not only our existing commercial operations but also the privately managed flights which we tend to oversee in-line with commercial operations best standards. We embarked on the registration application in December 2015, completed the audit in January and received approval in February. “This verifies that our operation, and in particular, the Safety Management System was already functioning at an optimal level and has also provided valuable insight into areas where we can strive for further performance improvement. I wish to congratulate the entire team at Gama Aviation FZE on this achievement and thank them as well as our Auditor and IBAC for their support throughout the process. This accreditation underpins our drive towards achieving the highest operational and safety standards possible.”This accreditation follows an announcement earlier this year that Gama Aviation had been given formal approval to expand its operations at Sharjah International Airport with the building of a new business aviation facility. The facility is designed to meet the needs of the Middle East business aviation market which is expected to grow by 7% a year between now and 20241.1 Bombardier Business Aircraft Market Forecast, 2015-2024, published May 2015About Gama Aviation PlcGama Aviation Ltd was established in 1983 by Marwan Khalek and Stephen Wright at Fairoaks Airport (UK), initially providing aircraft charter services with one Beech Baron aircraft.Since its inception, it has grown organically and through strategic acquisition. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Gama Aviation has a market capitalization of over £130 million.
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