IOSA AUDIT READINESS · By Ferhan Bugay, Executive Director, Aero Support Group FZCO · 21 October 2026 · Updated 4 November 2026
What has IATA published?
Three IATA sources set the 2027 baseline. The IATA Store lists the IOSA Standards Manual as Edition 19, effective from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027. The IOSA Audit Handbook (IAH) Tables and Mandatory Observations Edition 19 was issued in August 2026, states that it corresponds to ISM Edition 19, and lists all its pages as effective January 2027. The IOSA Program Manual (IPM) Edition 18 explains the cycle: a new ISM edition becomes effective for all audits conducted on or after 1 January of the following year.
IATA’s public ISM web page still shows the Edition 18 Rev 1 highlights, so the IAH Edition 19 change log and tables are the best public indication of what auditors will work with in 2027.
What changes for operators in 2027?
Comparing the IAH Tables and Mandatory Observations for Edition 19 with the Edition 18 version gives these operator-relevant changes:
- DSP 4.2.3 (second engine failure, aircraft with three or more engines): the parallel conformity option, which ran until 31 December 2026, has been deleted. Plan for full conformity at audits from 2027.
- MNT Table 4.11, active implementation dates: the projected date for full conformance with the autonomous distress position transmission system (ADT, item xxx) moves from 31 December 2026 to 31 December 2027. The Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS, item xxxi) moves from 31 December 2027 to 31 December 2028.
- CVR and DLR (Table 4.11 items xiv and xv): these no longer appear in the active implementation list, and the transitional notes are gone from the Edition 19 MNT equipment form. Confirm your fleet meets the full requirement.
- Flight data analysis: the SMS repeated-ISARP table now points to ORG 3.3.2 where Edition 18 listed ORG 3.3.1, 3.3.3, 3.3.4 and 3.3.5. Re-map your conformance references for the FDA programme.
- Security in ground handling: the interlinked tables now reference new GRH 3.7.12, 3.7.13 and 3.7.14 in places where Edition 18 pointed to SEC ISARPs. Check which manual answers each one and who owns it.
- Cargo: CGO provisions on the carriage of revenue cargo were revised to match ISM Edition 19.
- Maturity criteria: Section 3 lists the same 20 ORG ISARPs and five FLT ISARPs (flight crew training and FRMS) with maturity assessment criteria as in Edition 18.
Which edition will apply to your audit?
Under the IPM, an ISM edition applies to all audits conducted on or after 1 January of the year after it is published, and the edition to be used is fixed during audit planning. An airline audited in early 2027 will therefore be audited against Edition 19.
Since 1 January 2026 IATA pre-assigns renewal audit dates (Operator Alert 43), and notifications for the 2027 renewal cycle have been going out since April 2026. IATA also expects all administrative requirements to be complete no later than 90 days before the on-site audit. If your audit falls in the first quarter of 2027, your Edition 19 delta work and your contracting deadlines overlap.
What stays the same?
The risk-based model continues: an audit scope tailored to each airline and a maturity assessment of safety-critical systems. Edition 18 Rev 1 already integrated the maturity criteria into the manual, so the move to Edition 19 updates an audit model you already know.
Several Edition 18 Rev 1 changes are still settling in many airlines and deserve a check during the transition: ORG 2.4.2 and ORG 3.4.1 as full Standards, the flight planning safety risk assessment in DSP 3.2.8C, and the SSP, ESP and SeMS references across SEC 1.1.1 to 1.12.2. Our ISM Edition 18 guide covers these in detail.
A delta review plan before 1 January 2027
- Obtain ISM Edition 19 from the IATA Store, and the IAH Edition 19 tables from IATA Connect and circulate it to the post holders and quality team.
- Extract every change. Build a delta register from the revision bars: ISARP reference, Edition 18 text, Edition 19 text, type of change (new, upgraded, revised, deleted).
- Map each change to your documentation. Identify the OM, maintenance, ground handling, cargo and security manual sections affected, and the owner of each.
- Decide what has to change in practice. A new or upgraded Standard needs implemented procedures, trained staff and records before the audit, so plan the evidence, not only the manual text.
- Update your internal audit checklists and compliance monitoring programme to Edition 19, so the next internal audit tests the new requirements.
- Brief your audit organisation on your audit dates and confirm the edition and expected scope.
- Take it to management review. Record the delta, the resources assigned and the target dates. The review itself becomes evidence of a working compliance monitoring system.
How ASG supports the transition
ASG runs Edition 19 delta reviews for airlines: change extraction, documentation mapping, implementation planning and a mock audit against the new edition. Airlines on our IOSA RADAR service have a dedicated consultant who keeps the conformance report current through the edition change and between audits.
Conclusion
ISM Edition 19 applies to IOSA audits from 1 January 2027. The changes visible in the IAH tables are specific: full conformity with DSP 4.2.3, new equipment dates for ADT and ROAAS, the end of transitional provisions for CVR and DLR, a restructured FDA reference and new GRH security ISARPs. Airlines with early 2027 audits have about ten weeks to map these to their manuals and fleet, implement them and produce the records, while also meeting IATA’s 90-day administrative deadline.
Frequently asked questions
ISM Edition 19 applies to IOSA audits conducted on or after 1 January 2027. IATA lists it as effective from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027.
Edition 18 Rev 1. Under the IOSA Program Manual, a new ISM edition becomes effective for all audits conducted on or after 1 January of the following year, and the edition is fixed during audit planning.
It expired on 31 December 2026 and has been deleted from the Edition 19 IAH tables, so operators should plan for full conformity with DSP 4.2.3 at audits from 2027.
In the IAH Edition 19 active implementation list, the projected full conformance date for the autonomous distress position transmission system (MNT Table 4.11 item xxx) is 31 December 2027, and for ROAAS (item xxxi) it is 31 December 2028.
No. IOSA remains a risk-based audit with a scope tailored to each airline and a maturity assessment of safety-critical systems. The ISARPs with maturity criteria are the same 20 ORG and five FLT ISARPs as in Edition 18.
The ISM is the IATA manual that contains the IOSA Standards and Recommended Practices (ISARPs). Airlines are audited against the edition in force on the audit date. Edition 19 applies to audits conducted on or after 1 January 2027.
No. IATA publishes the ISM through the IATA Store, and the official copy should come from there or through your IOSA registration. ASG does not distribute IATA manuals, but we help airlines work through the changes once they have the edition.
Yes, if a changed or new Standard applies to your operation. The auditor looks for documented procedures, trained staff and records showing the requirement is implemented, so plan the evidence and not only the manual text.
Key takeaways
- ISM Edition 19 applies to IOSA audits from 1 January 2027
- DSP 4.2.3 parallel conformity has ended: plan for full conformity
- ADT full conformance moves to 31 December 2027 and ROAAS to 31 December 2028
- CVR and DLR are no longer on the active implementation list
- New GRH 3.7.12 to 3.7.14 references and a restructured ORG 3.3 FDA reference need re-mapping
- Complete IATA administrative requirements at least 90 days before the on-site audit
Need an Edition 19 delta review?
ASG can extract the Edition 19 changes, map them to your manuals and test implementation with a mock audit before your 2027 IOSA renewal.
References
- IATA Store, IOSA Standards Manual (ISM): Edition 19, effective 1 January 2027
- IATA, IOSA Audit Handbook Tables and Mandatory Observations, Edition 19 (August 2026), IATA Connect
- IATA, IOSA Program Manual (IPM) Edition 18, 15 October 2025, section 1.6
- IATA, IOSA Operator Alert 43: Audit Dates Allocation (1 October 2025)
- IATA, IOSA Standards Manual (ISM): Edition 18 Rev 1 revision highlights
- Aero Support Group, IOSA Audit Preparation 2026: Risk-Based ISM Ed.18 Guide