Two Years Ahead of Schedule, Flexjet Achieves Compliance for FAA's New Safety Management System

• Safety achievement puts Flexjet in top 1% of private jet providers in compliance
  
  
• Flexjet's Safety Management System (SMS) program includes industry-leading best practices above and beyond what is mandated by FAA and other countries
  
  
• New Flexjet SMS meets and often exceeds requirements for commercial airlines

CLEVELAND, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Flexjet, a leading luxury private aviation company, formally submitted its declaration of compliance to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it meets the new mandatory rule for 14CFR Part 5 Safety Management System (SMS). As an industry leader in aviation safety standards, Flexjet's strong commitment to creating, adopting and improving upon current safety standards puts it in the top 1% of private jet providers in compliance with the FAA's SMS program. Flexjet also promotes and practices transparency and sharing data that propels industry safety measures forward, beyond mandatory guidelines.

This declaration follows Flexjet's initial active conformance with the FAA's SMS Voluntary Program (SMSVP) in October 2021. Since then, the company has been in the process of significantly enhancing its existing SMS to incorporate requirements from other global aviation regulators. As a result, Flexjet meets and exceeds many of the FAA's requirements as part of the CFR Part 5 SMS and does so well ahead of the May 2027 deadline for this mandate.

"We pride ourselves in our nonstop pursuit of best-in-class safety practices, ensuring our aircraft Owners have the utmost peace of mind when in a Flexjet aircraft," said Charles Starkowsky, Chief Safety Officer at Flexjet. "It takes an organization-wide culture of safety to be able to proactively build out a Safety Management System like this so far ahead of the FAA's deadline, and Flexjet is a prime example for the industry to follow."

Though not an FAA requirement, Flexjet has, throughout its 30-year history, actively participated in a formal, top-down, bottom-up, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety risk controls. This includes systematic procedures, practices and policies for safety risk management. This advanced SMS provides an additional layer of protection for our aircraft Owners, pilots, crews and ground personnel.

Flexjet's declaration of compliance adds to a lengthy list of safety certifications and awards that were secured thanks to a comprehensive framework of processes, policies and proprietary data built by top safety experts to ensure the highest degree of safety standards in the industry. These additional recognitions include a platinum safety rating from ARGUS, an Industry Audit Standard (IAS) certification, an IS-BAO Stage 2 compliance certification and 25 years winning the FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance Technician Training.

Flexjet's comprehensive Corporate Safety Management System is built on four important components:

• Safety Policy: The company documents its safety standards, develops procedures needed to implement that policy and develops an organizational structure to support its enactment and continued improvement.
• Safety Risk Management: The company identifies hazards and puts into place risk controls to either eliminate those hazards or mitigate them to an acceptable level.
• Safety Assurance: The company regularly reviews its risk controls to make sure they are effective.
• Safety Promotion: The company implements training, communicates safety objectives throughout the organization and shares results of the system to help build a positive safety culture.

About Flexjet
Flexjet, a global leader in private aviation, first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995 and is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing and is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation's Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 25 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating, a 4AIR Bronze Sustainable Rating and is certified at Stage 2 with IS-BAO. Red Label by Flexjet, a market differentiator, features an ultra-modern fleet, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are nearly 50 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Praetor 500 and 600, Bombardier Challenger 350/3500 and the Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet's European fleet includes the Embraer Praetor 600 and the Gulfstream G650. Flexjet's helicopter division offers leases, helicopter cards and convenient interchange access for its aircraft Owners. Flexjet owns, operates and maintains its fleet of Sikorsky S-76 helicopters which boast 55,000 hours of safe flying certified by Wyvern and ARG/US and serving locations throughout the northeastern United States, United Kingdom and Florida. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Instagram @Flexjetllc.

SOURCE Flextjet