ARGUS Business Aviation Newsletter December 2025

Bloomfield, NJ (December 9, 2025)

ARGUS International is proud to bring you the final Business Aviation newsletter of 2025. We're excited to review the past year and look ahead to 2026.

This edition of our newsletter will review our newly updated ARGUS Gold standard and how it interacts with CHEQ, TripCHEQ and the rest of our auditing and rating ecosystem. We'll also take a deep look at some of our most recent major sporting events, and the flight activity surrounding them, utilizing ARGUS Analytics data powered by TRAQPak.

ARGUS Gold Audit Changes

Earlier this year, ARGUS International announced a significant enhancement to the Gold Audit Standard. This evolution marks a major step forward in ensuring that aircraft operators not only meet but exceed industry best practices in safety and operational excellence.

Previously focused on foundational safety elements such as pilot background checks, accident and incident history, verification of pilot experience, operating certificates, and insurance, the ARGUS Gold Audit has now been expanded to include 14 new audit categories. These additions provide a more comprehensive review of an operator’s flight operations and aircraft maintenance programs.

We look forward to welcoming more operators into the Gold audit program.

New Certified Charter Broker Program

ARGUS is committed to ensuring our standards reflect the highest level of industry best practices and legal compliance. To uphold this commitment, the ARGUS Audit team has conducted a complete review of the ARGUS Certified Charter Broker audit program.

This review has led to a significant change in the requirements for all charter brokers: ARGUS now requires all Charter Brokers to be Certified.

What does this mean for you?

For existing Certified Charter Brokers: There is no change to your current status or requirements. For Charter Brokers currently Registered: There is now a requirement to become Certified.

Key Deadline for Registered Brokers

To ensure continuous listing and compliance, existing Registered Brokers have until December 31st, 2025 to have their certification audit scheduled. Beginning January 1st, 2026, any Registered Brokers who have not scheduled their audit will no longer be listed on the Charter Broker registry.

We understand that this evolution in our standards brings challenges, and the entire ARGUS team is prepared to work with you to ensure a smooth transition. We appreciate all of our charter brokers and look forward to their cooperation and continued success in the program.We look forward to welcoming more brokers into the Certified Charter Broker program.

SMS Mandate For Part 135: Are You Ready?

For years we heard that SMS was going to become mandatory, but no one knew when. Well, the time has come. Any operator required to have an SMS under FAA Part 5, has until May 28, 2027, to develop and implement a Safety Management System (SMS) that meets the requirements of 14 CFR Part 5.

What is a Safety Management System (SMS)?

An SMS is an organization-wide, comprehensive, and preventive approach to ensuring system safety. An SMS includes a safety policy, promotion of a positive safety culture, formal methods for identifying hazards and mitigating risk, and assurance of the overall safety performance of aviation organizations.

How does an operator show they are in compliance?

Once the operator required to have an SMS under Part 5 has developed and implemented an SMS that meets Part 5 requirements, they will submit a declaration of compliance to the responsible Flight Standards office (FSDO). A declaration of compliance is a legal document that states the person/organization has developed and implemented an SMS that meets the Part 5 requirements.

PRISM is here to help

The idea of developing and implementing a Safety Management System can be overwhelming and seem like a daunting task. PRISM provides a variety of support to help make development and implementation of an SMS more manageable. Whether it is a basic question, help with manuals, or more in-depth consulting PRISM can assist you.

ABOUT ARGUS International

ARGUS International, Inc, an SGS Company, founded in 1995, is the worldwide leader in specialized aviation audit services, regulatory support services, Safety Management System (SMS) software, and aviation tracking data. With a suite of solutions designed for servicing the Commercial Aviation, Business Aviation, and Rotorcraft Aviation sectors, globally, ARGUS ensures companies have the right tools to support their operational and business decision making. ARGUS experts bring decades of trusted industry experience to every audit, assessment, regulatory project, SMS solutions, and industry data analysis; experience you can count on whether you are just starting your operation, want to improve your operation, or selling / acquiring an operation. Our objective is to make sure you are equipped with the data, research, and knowledge you need to make the best decisions for your business.

Visit www.ARGUS.aero to learn about the specific solutions you can leverage to improve, grow, and expand your business. 

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Melissa Baumann, ARGUS International  

Director; Marketing | e:  melissa.baumann@argus.aero | t: +1-513.852.1022