The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the International Business Aviation Council have (IBAC) launched a pilot programme for STARS – Standards & Training for Aviation Responsibility and Sustainability.

The pilot, which runs from June to December 2021, is being conducted by six major European Business aviation companies: Air Charter Service UK, CAT Aviation, Flying Group, Luxaviation Malta, Time to Fly and A Swiss corporate flight department.

The aim of STARS programme is to introduce industry-wide practises that will supplement the existing International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) for safety. The programme will also be made available on a standalone basis for organisations that do not operate aircraft, manage FBOs or provide ground-handling services as part of their activities.

The three-tiered sustainability accreditation employs an auditing process conducted by industry professionals to ensure the integrity of the accreditation.

“STARS has set an ambitious goal to provide social and environmental guidance to all business aviation companies globally,” said EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan. “This pilot is putting that promise into practice by ensuring that all business aviation organisations can implement and comply with even the most fundamental environmental and social guidelines, such as appointing designated sustainability officers, establishing diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination policies, implementing voluntary carbon offsetting programmes and increasingly more as they progress up the tiers.”

Kurt Edwards, IBAC, director general added: “STARS will provide a vital framework for members of the business aviation community to contribute to the broad range of sustainability needs as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Experiences in the pilot will allow us to refine the sustainability best practices and we can begin to roll out the STRS programme across Europe in 2022 and globally by 2024.”

STARS was created in 2018 and is designed for small and large business aviation companies. It aims to help organisations address the social and environmental challenges outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.