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Safety and Quality Solutions
- January 15, 2020
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Services
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SAFETY & QUALITY · BY ASG
KEY TOPIC
Aviation safety and quality are inseparable disciplines. An effective safety programme cannot function without a robust quality management framework, and a quality system that fails to embed safety thinking delivers compliance without genuine risk reduction. Aero Support Group provides integrated safety and quality solutions for airlines, ground handlers, MROs, ATOs, and cargo operators — helping organisations build systems that satisfy regulators and genuinely improve performance.
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What Are Aviation Safety & Quality Solutions?
Aviation safety and quality solutions encompass the full spectrum of systems, processes, and programmes that aviation organisations deploy to identify hazards, manage risks, assure regulatory compliance, and continuously improve performance. These include Safety Management Systems (SMS), Quality Management Systems (QMS), audit programmes, safety performance monitoring frameworks, documentation management, and training systems.
Aero Support Group delivers integrated safety and quality solutions that address regulatory requirements under ICAO Annex 19, IATA IOSA, ISAGO, EASA, FAA, and CAA frameworks — and go beyond compliance to build genuine operational resilience. Our consultants work with your existing teams to design, implement, and optimise systems that function effectively in your specific operational environment.
The Relationship Between Safety and Quality in Aviation
Safety Management Systems focus on the proactive identification and management of hazards and risks across operational activities. Quality Management Systems provide the systematic processes of planning, assurance, and control that verify compliance and drive continuous improvement. While historically treated as separate functions, international standards increasingly require their integration — particularly under ICAO Annex 19 3rd Edition, which expands SMS scope and reinforces the role of quality assurance in safety performance monitoring.
Organisations that maintain separate SMS and QMS often experience duplication of effort, conflicting audit findings, and gaps in safety-quality interface areas such as non-conformity management, internal audit programmes, and management review processes. ASG helps organisations design integrated Safety and Quality frameworks that eliminate duplication while strengthening both functions.
Effective safety and quality management also requires visible leadership commitment. ASG works with accountable managers and senior leadership teams to establish safety governance structures — including Safety Review Boards, management review schedules, safety performance reporting, and just culture frameworks — that demonstrate regulatory compliance and drive cultural change.
KEY REFERENCE
Core standards include: ICAO Annex 19, 3rd Edition (effective November 2026), ICAO Doc 9859 SMM, 4th Edition, IOSA ISM Edition 18, and national regulatory frameworks (EASA, FAA, CAA). ASG solutions are aligned to all applicable frameworks simultaneously.
Our Safety & Quality Solutions
SMS Design & Implementation: ASG designs and implements Safety Management Systems for aviation service providers at all stages of SMS maturity — from initial framework development through to advanced performance-based SMS operation. Our SMS solutions comply with ICAO Annex 19, IOSA Edition 18, and applicable national regulations. We provide documentation, training, hazard register templates, SPI frameworks, and management review processes tailored to your organisation’s size and operational scope.
For organisations subject to new SMS requirements — such as those affected by ICAO Annex 19 3rd Edition’s expanded scope — ASG provides a structured implementation pathway with clear milestones and regulatory submission support.
Quality Management System Development: ASG designs and revises Quality Management Systems aligned to IOSA, ISAGO, EASA, FAA, and CAA requirements. Our QMS solutions include quality policy frameworks, internal audit programmes, non-conformity management processes, and management review structures. Where QMS and SMS functions overlap, ASG designs integration points that eliminate duplication and ensure consistent management of safety-quality interface issues.
For organisations approaching IOSA, ISAGO, or CAA audits, a well-structured QMS is one of the most effective preparations — auditors consistently rate QMS and internal audit programme quality as a leading indicator of overall compliance maturity.
Safety Performance Monitoring & Safety Intelligence: ICAO Annex 19 3rd Edition introduces enhanced requirements for safety performance management, safety data analysis, and safety intelligence. ASG helps organisations establish Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) frameworks, safety data collection and processing systems (SDCPS), and management dashboards that satisfy Annex 19 requirements and provide genuine operational insight.
Our safety intelligence services include analysis of safety reports, occurrence data, audit findings, and operational metrics to identify systemic risk patterns and improvement opportunities. This service is particularly valuable for organisations preparing for IOSA Edition 18 risk-based audit eligibility.
Benefits of Integrated Safety & Quality Management
Why Choose Aero Support Group?
Aero Support Group works exclusively in aviation — our consultants understand not only the text of international safety and quality standards, but their practical application across airline, ground handling, MRO, and ATO environments. This focused expertise allows us to deliver solutions that satisfy auditors and genuinely improve operational performance.
Our track record spans over 400 organisations across more than 100 countries, covering all major regulatory frameworks. Whether you are building an SMS from scratch, preparing for your first IOSA audit, or optimising a mature quality system, ASG provides the expertise and hands-on support to achieve your objectives.
A Safety Management System (SMS) is a systematic approach to managing safety risk — covering hazard identification, risk assessment, safety assurance, and safety promotion. A Quality Management System (QMS) is a systematic approach to ensuring processes meet defined standards through planning, assurance, and continuous improvement. In aviation, SMS focuses on safety outcomes while QMS focuses on process compliance. Both are required by international standards, and increasingly they are expected to be integrated rather than parallel systems.
ICAO Annex 19 originally required SMS for Type I and Type II service providers (airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, approved maintenance organisations, and approved training organisations). The 3rd Edition, effective November 2026, expands scope to include additional categories including aircraft design and manufacturing organisations and previously excluded maintenance providers. National CAAs implement Annex 19 requirements through local regulations, so the specific obligations depend on your country of registration.
SMS implementation timelines vary by organisation size and complexity. A small ATO or MRO can typically implement a functional SMS in 3–6 months with dedicated resources. A medium-sized airline implementing SMS across all operational divisions typically requires 9–18 months for full implementation and initial performance data collection. ASG develops a phased implementation plan aligned to your regulatory deadline and available resources.
Yes. ASG supports multinational aviation groups, airline alliances, and ground handling networks with standardised safety and quality frameworks that accommodate jurisdiction-specific regulatory variations. We have experience aligning SMS and QMS frameworks across EASA, FAA, GCAA, CAAS, and SACAA regulatory environments simultaneously, ensuring consistent group-level standards while meeting local requirements.
Safety performance monitoring is the systematic process of tracking Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) against defined Safety Performance Targets (SPTs) to assess whether the SMS is achieving its intended safety outcomes. ICAO Annex 19 requires all SMS service providers to establish SPIs and SPTs and conduct regular reviews of safety performance data. Under IOSA Edition 18, strong safety performance data is a prerequisite for risk-based audit eligibility. Without effective performance monitoring, organisations cannot demonstrate SMS effectiveness to auditors.
- Unified SMS and QMS reduces duplication and audit risk
- Genuine hazard identification, not just documentation
- Satisfies ICAO, IATA, EASA, FAA, and CAA simultaneously
- Measurable safety performance against defined targets
- Stronger audit outcomes across IOSA, ISAGO, and CAA
- Cultural transformation beyond regulatory compliance
Build Your Safety & Quality Framework with ASG
Whether you need to implement SMS from scratch, revise your QMS for audit readiness, or integrate your safety and quality functions, Aero Support Group provides the expertise and structure to deliver effective, auditable results. Contact our team to discuss your requirements.
ASG
Aero Support Group
Global Aviation Consulting
Aero Support Group (ASG) is an aviation safety, quality and compliance consultancy with offices in Dubai and Istanbul and a branch office in London. It prepares airlines, MROs, ground handlers, airports and civil aviation authorities for IOSA and ISAGO audits, EASA and UK CAA Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation, EASA and FAA Part-145 approval, and ICAO USOAP audits.
Its work also covers Part-CAMO, Part-M and Part-147, Part-IS information security, SMS, QMS and SeMS development, gap analyses, mock audits and corrective action plans, operations manuals and MOEs, emergency response and business continuity planning, DAQCP, IFQP, JIG and IDQP inspection preparation, ACC3, RA3 and KC3 cargo security validation, CEIV Pharma, and SAF and CORSIA compliance.
ASG has completed 1,000+ projects at 500+ airports in 100+ countries. Its consultants have also served as subject matter experts, auditors and advisors for ICAO, IATA Consulting, IATA audit pools (IOSA, ISAGO, IDQP, IFQP), PRISM, ARGUS International and RSM.
- Aviation Safety
- SMS
- QMS
- Quality Management
- Safety Performance
- ICAO Annex 19
References
- ICAO. (2022). Annex 19 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, 3rd Edition. Montreal: ICAO.
- ICAO. (2018). Safety Management Manual (SMM), Doc 9859, 4th Edition. Montreal: ICAO.
- IATA. (2024). IOSA Standards Manual (ISM), Edition 18. Montreal: IATA.
- IATA. (2023). ISAGO Standards Manual, 9th Edition. Montreal: IATA.
- EASA. (2021). Regulation (EU) 2021/664 and associated SMS requirements for approved organisations.
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