Q & A

There are many answers, here are two...

SARPcheck does not add additional contents and only audits ICAO SARPs

SARPcheck audits ICAO regulation and no industry-created questions. This makes a big difference for regulatory program recognition.

SARPcheck offers a unique approach to compliance verification for airline operators, without requiring full compliance proof for registration. This method enhances the true value of safety audits by eliminating the implicit pressure on auditors. Once audited, airlines immediately achieve Phase I registration and receive a detailed report. This report can be shared with potential charter or codeshare partners, streamlining the collaboration process.

Consider a scenario where airline A is audited for ICAO SARP compliance before entering a codeshare agreement with partner airline X. If airline X receives the audit report highlighting 10 findings from airline A's SARPcheck audit, it can bypass the extensive process of assessing airline A against the myriad of applicable ICAO SARPs. Instead, airline X can concentrate on resolving these 10 specific findings, significantly accelerating the partnership process.

Another advantage of SARPcheck is the option for audited airlines to pursue verification of findings' resolution. Successfully addressing all findings allows the airline to advance to the Phase II registry, recognized as fully compliant without any pending issues. This flexibility and efficiency facilitate quicker business engagements and underscore SARPcheck's value in promoting aviation safety and compliance.

Absolutely no! Removing just a single SARP from any of the SARPcheck audits would mean that not all applicable ICAO SARPs were audited at least once within each 24 months and found in compliance. It is exactly that full compliance assurance which is not only the industry standard for accepting wet lease/ codeshare oversight through a third party audit, but it is even required by some legal frameworks.

So whilst keeping the promise of auditing all applicable SARPs every 24 months, the SARPcheck risk-based element focuses on an identification of areas of potentially higher interest and allocates more audit time for a deeper and more diligent auditing of related SARPs. SARPcheck is risk-based auditing, the compliant way.

The SARPcheck program is governed by London-based not-for-profit organization Safety Audit Review Partnership (SARP), dedicated to the enhancement of global flight safety.

SARP invites industry stakeholders such as airlines, regulators, Safety Quality Organizations (SQOs, the audit firms under SARPcheck), insurers and others to have an active say in the steering of the program towards global enhancement of flight safety.

iQSMS is one of the world's most utilized aviation audit software, renowned for its user friendly design. Already the SARPcheck trial audits confirmed the use of iQSMS as a seamless experience for the four SARPcheck auditors working in parallel as well as for the customer airlines, who in many cases utilize iQSMS themselves.

A future potential will be the vision to become capable of pushing the iQSMS audit data and report from the SARPcheck system into the customer airline's own iQSMS account for further processing.

No, never - not even during the Observational Assessments. During a SARPcheck audit the four auditors strictly focus on how the audited operator documents and implements its requirements. The operator can select to outsource any function to subcontractors under SARPcheck. In such cases the auditing methodology switches from auditing the actual implementation of the task to auditing the operator's oversight over the subcontractor's implementation.

For observational assessments this means, that in case the function to be observed is outsourced, the SARPcheck auditor will observe how the operator executes its oversight over the subcontractor, while the subcontractor implements the task. So basically OAs on outsourced functions most commonly mean, that the SARPcheck auditor audits the operator whilst the operator audits the subcontractor executing the required tasks.

Four highly experienced SARPcheck auditors will work on-site for each four days. Apart from vast experience and skills, auditor selection focuses particularly on excellent communication and soft skills. The auditing includes a thorough review of manuals, but moreover has a priority on checking implementation. All the details and qualification criteria can be found in the SARPcheck Programme Manual (SCPM), and the SCPM can be found here: https://www.sarp.org

At present there are three audit firms, so called SQOs (Safety Quality Organizations) which are accredited by the not-for-profit governance organization SARP LTD. to conduct audits under the SARPcheck program: AEROTHRIVE, Aviation Quality Services and WAKE (QA) LIMITED. They are deeply involved in the program and can be directly contacted for further information.

Load Unit LU1 - Organisation

Load UnitLU2 - Ground, Security, Dangerous Goods

Load UnitLU3 - CAMO

Load UnitLU4 - Dispatch

Load UnitLU5 - Flight Operations

Load UnitLU6 - Flight Support

"Load Unit" (LU) stands for a catalogue of questions which gets assigned to an auditor during a SARPcheck audit. Some LUs are bigger, some are smaller, so that some auditors will carry out just one LU during a SARPcheck audit (e.g. LU3) and others will audit a combination during the same audit (e.g. LU1 & LU2). Every SARPcheck Auditor can audit every LU except LU3 and LU5, which require additional auditor qualifications for these scopes.

No. SARPcheck is committed to assess all applicable ICAO SARPs from defined ICAO Annexes as the global aviation baseline law. The result of a SARPcheck audit precisely represents the statement to what extent an airline is in compliance with this basic law or not. No more, no less.

The three SQOs (Safety Quality Organizations, the audit firms under SARPcheck) are the entities selecting, contracting and training future SARPcheck Auditors, namely AEROTHRIVE, Aviation Quality Services and WAKE (QA) LIMITED. All details regarding selection and training criteria can be found in Chapter 2 of the current SCPM (SARPcheck Program Manual) revision.

In theory, every operator should be in full compliance with all requirements since the applicable ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) from the selected ICAO Annexes constitute the fundamental basis upon which state lawmakers are required to create and enforce regulations that are compliant with these ICAO Annexes. This constitutes a positive initial step. However, it's worth noting that any airline undergoing a SARPcheck audit will receive all the necessary information for their preparation from their Safety Quality Organization (SQO)—the audit firms. Alternatively, they have the option to choose a different SQO than the one conducting the audit for their preparation services.

In all regions globally. The audit firms, called "SQOs" (Safety Quality Organizations) operate global networks of auditors and the program itself is based on applicable ICAO SARPs (Standards and recommended practices) which form the basic law for all aviation laws of UN member states around the world so that also from that side a general application is ensured globally.

Whilst the program language is English, the global auditors of the auditing firms (SQOs) AEROTHRIVE, Aviation Quality Services and WAKE (QA) LIMITED are based all around the world and speak various languages. The English language will always be the formally relevant language, but the auditing itself can be conducted in other languages utilizing the auditor's language skills or even translators.

Yes. Operators without a valid AOC are eligible for undergoing a SARPcheck Audit as long as they have officially applied for obtaining an AOC at their competent NRCAA. Obviously during such audits most of implementation cannot be assessed, but documentation can. Such pre-AOC SARPchecks are ideal for preparing an operator for its AOC and for shortening the time between receiving the AOC and being SARPcheck registered.

According to the SARPcheck Program Manual SCPM, the completion of all audit activities qualifies an operator for immediate inclusion in the public Phase I registry. Subsequently, the operator can choose whether to resolve any non-conformities. If a Safety Quality Organization (SQO) verifies that all non-conformities are resolved, the operator immediately qualifies for inclusion in the Phase II registry.

For ICAO SARPs (Standards and Recommended Practices) labeled as "recommendations" in the ICAO Annexes, a SARPcheck auditor will treat them as mandatory unless the auditee can demonstrate that such requirements are not mandated by the aviation state laws applicable to the audited AOC. It is noteworthy that many ICAO SARPs are designated as recommendations, a fact that might surprise numerous aviation managers. For example, the recommendation to install reinforced cockpit doors is often unexpected but falls into that category.

The SARPcheck audit report is a standardized document comprising of a comprehensive executive summary and the complete checklist which also details any possible findings and recommendations raised during the audit. Before submission to the client the report will undergo a QC check ensuring maximum consistency.

In many ways. It is an affordable and pragmatic compliance certification of all applicable ICAO SARPs from Annexes required e.g. by the FAA for conducting oversight over wet lease and codeshare operations. SARPcheck is particularly fast: the Phase I report and registry entry get instantly released following the on-site audit irrespective of the optional closure of findings.

No. Alternative audit service providers, particularly those operating as non-profit organizations dedicated to enhancing global flight safety, are not inherently competitors. Without any possibility for a conflict of interest or ethical conflicts when sharing flight safety as a common goal, they can complement one another and, through intelligent collaboration towards their shared goal, can mutually benefit while advancing industry safety levels.

Yes. Based on decades of safety audit experience of its creators, the SARPcheck audit program relies on free sharing of information and transparency as key requirements for enhancing global flight safety: the program manual and all information sheets are publicly available on the SARP.org website free of charge and will always be - for the sake of elevating flight safety!

The SARPcheck program does not create its own questions and standards but directly applies the relevant ICAO SARPs from specified ICAO Annexes. "Applicable" in this context means that expert task forces have determined which ICAO SARPs are relevant solely to states and which contain requirements that need to be addressed by operators. Those applicable to operators are included in an applicability matrix, defining the exact scope of SARPcheck audits. Moreover, the SARPcheck Program Manual (SCPM) and the training for SARPcheck Auditors establish a methodology to ensure that each SARP is properly audited at the operator level, even though SARPs are originally directed at states.

SARPcheck will not penalise an Operator when they comply with State regulations. If State regulations differ from ICAO wording, such difference is usually filed with ICAO by the State and audited accordingly. If the differences were not filed, the SARP is still assessed as Compliance during the SARPcheck audit (in accordance with State requirements) but with a note/remark that State regulations do not reflect the latest ICAO SARP wording/intention.