Page 14 - July24

AVIATION ISSUES
Affected Operators Should Act Now on Expanded SMS Mandate
Per the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule expanding safety management systems (SMS) to Part 135 on-demand operators, certain Part 21 certificate holders and 91.147 air tour operations may pose challenges to business aircraft operators as they work to adapt the rule’s requirements to their specific operations.
The 160-page final rule, effective May 28, applies the FAA’s existing Federal Aviation Regulations Part 5 SMS requirements, currently mandated for Part 121 commercial airlines, to nearly 1,850 Part 135 operators and more than 700 air tour providers. Affected operators will have until May 28, 2027, to submit a declaration of
compliance to the FAA saying they have met the new rule’s requirements.
The new rule includes most of the criteria advocated by NBAA and other industry stakeholders “over many, many years,” according to Doug Carr, NBAA senior vice president, safety, security, sustainability and international affairs. However, Carr also noted that work remains to be done to ensure the rule’s smooth implementation for types of operations.
“We’re now at a stage where we have an opportunity to really dive into SMS as a formal component of what Part 135 on-demand operations and air tours have in terms of a baseline requirement,” Carr said in an April 25 NBAA News Hour webinar detailing the rule’s requirements.
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2024