The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the 10th edition of the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Standards Manual is now available.
The standards and recommended practices contained in the latest edition have been updated to align fully with corresponding guidelines issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
ISAGO is a standardized and structured audit program for ground service providers (GSPs, ground handling companies operating at airports) that aims to improve ground safety by reducing ground damage and accidents/incidents. Reliable audit reports are made available to airlines for use in managing their ground operation risks, while GSPs on the ISAGO registry benefit from a reduction in the number of repetitive audits required by individual airlines and/or airports.
IATA applauded the ICAO ground handling initiative and welcomes the opportunity to assist states and airports in achieving the goals set by the provisions in ICAO’s Manual on Ground Handling (ICAO Doc 10121).
Catalin Cotrut, IATA’s Director Audit Programs noted: “Fully aligning the ISAGO Standards with ICAO’s Manual on Ground Handling (ICAO Doc 10121) ensures that GSPs on the ISAGO registry apply the same global best practices in ground operations, including at the same level required of airlines and airports for the management of safety.”
ISAGO now includes the audit of passenger, employee health and other requirements that reflect the new operational circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This also includes state- and industry-developed best practices and guidelines so that GSPs can specifically address these pandemic related issues/requirements.
As of February 2021, over 230 GSPs are registered under ISAGO. ISAGO audits have been performed on more than 300 GSP stations located at over 200 airports worldwide.