The New IOSA Risk-Based Audit Program. Are You Ready?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) significantly changed the audit and compliance landscape last year when it introduced the new Risk Based Audit system for its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program. All IATA members must be IOSA registered to maintain IATA membership. This mandate ensures that all IATA members adhere to the highest standards of operational safety and greatly facilitates the sharing of passengers and/or cargo between the world’s airlines.  With over 400 of the world’s airlines IOSA registered, changes to the audit program will create additional pressures on resources within each IOSA airline. 

ARGUS PROS Helps Airlines Navigate IATA Audit Changes 

ARGUS PROS is one of four IATA accredited audit organizations globally eligible to perform the traditional IOSA audit. Risk Based IOSA (RBI) audits, which started in 2023, are performed by IATA directly. By 2025, all renewal IOSA registration audits will be conducted as RBI audits.  Initial IOSA registration audits will still receive a traditional audit, but they will undergo an RBI audit with the first registration renewal.  Navigating the IOSA process has always taken time, effort and resources on the part of an operator. With the RBI audit, operators will see several differences in structure and scope. This can pose new challenges for airlines who are already dealing with limitations in terms of time and resources when it comes to the IOSA process. It’s not surprising that operators will have concerns about how they can smoothly transition to the new system without impacting their daily operations. With the desire to ensure conformance, while not expending additional time and money, many will look outside their organization for help. One solution is the ARGUS PROS Support Program (PSP). The ARGUS PROS Support Program (PSP), designed to make the IOSA process more efficient and less intrusive for operators, provides on-going support and guidance tailored to an individual airline’s needs. The program draws on the ARGUS PROS team’s vast level of experience from decades of working with airlines, resulting in a true understanding of their challenges and knowing how to maintain conformance within both the traditional IOSA audit program and the new Risk Based IOSA (RBI) audit program.   

Risk Based IOSA Audit Versus IOSA Traditional Audit 

Change always brings greater pressure on company resources, including time and money. The Risk Based IOSA (RBI) audit will bring a variety of changes, some of which are procedural while others are more substantive. Airlines need to be prepared to navigate these changes. 

Some of the changes with the RBI audit and the impact they’ll have include: 

• IATA will conduct the documentation review offsite as opposed to onsite during the audit itself. This review will also take place two weeks prior to the onsite audit. This means the auditors will have time to take a deeper dive into an operator’s manuals and other operational safety documents. It is critical that the operator is prepared and trained for this part of the audit.  

• The onsite audit days have changed to four days instead of five. With the onsite time reduced, some low-level standards will be excluded from the scope of the audit. This may give operators the impression that they don’t have to prepare for the entire audit, which is not the case. IATA will not disclose which standards are scoped out of the audit until Day One. And any scoped-out standards can be added back into the audit anytime during the event.  

• The RBI audit is conducted as a process audit, rather than the traditional line by line audit. Instead of reviewing the audit standards one by one, process auditing involves an interactive discussion between the auditor and interviewee and focuses on a set of related subject standards or processes. This means that the operator must be comfortable discussing all aspects of their manuals and procedures in a subjective manner.  

ARGUS PROS Prepares Airlines for a Successful Risk Based IOSA Audit 

The new IATA Risk Based IOSA (RBI) audit is here, and airlines need to be ready. As discussed, the RBI has many variables and is more subjective than the IOSA traditional audit, creating a lot of unknowns for the operator. The PROS Support Program (PSP) is designed to support airlines in maintaining continuous conformance with IOSA standards by providing a robust suite of tools and services that will educate operators and make sure they are prepared for their audit. The ARGUS PSP solution will also enhance their overall operational safety, while saving them time and valuable resources and allowing them to focus on their operation. Here’s just a few ways the ARGUS PSP solution can help with the changes mentioned above.

• Training: The ARGUS PSP program provides participant providers with access to key in-depth training events conducted throughout the year. These training sessions provide operators with detailed knowledge and understanding of IOSA and give operators insight into what the RBI audit is and how to prepare for the RBI audit. 

• Pre-Audit Support: The ARGUS PSP team will assess the operation for conformance and identify areas for improvement as well as help the operator with implementing those improvements.  This includes a complete review of the operator’s documentation and implementation of their systems, processes and procedures. 

• Audit Support: The ARGUS PSP team provides live IOSA support during the audit week for certain program levels. Areas of assistance include interpretation of IOSA Standards and Recommended Practices (ISARP), locating documentation and implementation evidence, non-conformity clarification and other support. 

Training is a big part of what the ARGUS PSP solution offers participant operators. But there is so much more! The program provides a unique set of tools and support services tailored to the needs of the individual operator. All are designed to support airlines in remaining in continuous conformance with IOSA standards.