Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) Endorses ARGUS Certified Charter Broker Program

Cincinnati, OH, June 1, 2015
ARGUS International, Inc. (ARGUS) is pleased to announce that the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) has officially endorsed the ARGUS Certified Charter Broker program. During EBACE, a new version of the charter broker audit standard was released. ARGUS has two European-based auditors available to conduct audits for the European charter brokers. BACA is the largest and longest standing organization focused on the air charter brokerage industry in the world. ARGUS is the most recognized source of independent, unbiased information supporting the due diligence requirements of the global air charter marketplace.

Some of the fastest growing companies in the air charter industry are brokers. However, the air charter brokerage business is largely unregulated, leaving room for unfair competition and mproprieties that can financially or otherwise harm aircraft operators and their end consumers. BACA has been promoting the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in the air charter brokerage business since 1949, and has built a membership of more than 200 leading companies in the aviation marketplace. ARGUS has developed its Certified Air Charter Broker Program over several years and with much industry input, to allow professional air charter brokers a recognized and respected venue to inform aircraft operators and charter consumers of the great lengths they have gone to in developing their business.

“Being very familiar with ARGUS and their charter operator rating and TripCHEQ programs, we were very intrigued to learn more about their Certified Charter Broker Program”, stated Tony Coe, BACA Chairman. “We quickly became impressed with their attention to appropriate and applicable details and desire to seek our guidance relative to making their standard applicable around the globe.” BACA Deputy Chairman, Volker Meissner added, “When ARGUS approached us to ask if they could use the BACA Code of Practice as the Annual Pledge of commitment by their participating charter brokers, as required by their Program, we felt confident that our priorities were aligned with ARGUS relative to the underlying principles of their Program.”

Joe Moeggenberg, President and CEO of ARGUS commented, “ARGUS has tremendous respect for BACA’s reputation and influence in the air charter brokerage industry, and we feel honored to receive their endorsement. We also recognize the importance of staffing locally-based auditors for the European Charter Brokers and look forward to working closely with the brokers who commit to raising the bar and setting the standard for the rest.”

The ARGUS Certified Charter Broker Program contains two levels of recognition, ARGUS Registered and ARGUS Certified. A Registered Charter Broker provides ARGUS with Documented proof of specific requirements, and annually pledges their commitment to adhering to industry best practices and applicable regulations. A Certified Charter Broker will submit the same documentation and annual pledge, and additionally will undergo an on-site audit, once every two years, to prove their compliance with industry best practices and applicable regulations. Any willful misrepresentation or proven violation of industry best practices or legal requirements can cause a company the loss of their ARGUS Registered or Certified status. ARGUS will maintain the official registry on their website and integrate those ratings with other web-sites that make charter broker information available to the public or marketplace.

About the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA)
The Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) is the world’s largest air charter organization. Formed in 1949 and closely associated with the Baltic Exchange, BACA delivers a wide range of aviation expertise throughout the air charter industry. The Associations purpose is to ensure that all companies involved in aircraft chartering meet high standards of integrity and professionalism. With corporate membership now in excess of 200 companies, BACA is recognized as the voice of the air charter industry by many official aviation bodies and government departments. Its members include air charter brokers, aircraft operators, airports, handling agents and many other aviation related companies. BACA also offers a series of training days and networking events for its members to enjoy throughout the year.

About ARGUS International Inc.
ARGUS International, Inc. (ARGUS) is a specialized aviation services company whose mission is to provide the aviation marketplace with data and information necessary to make informed decisions and manage risk. ARGUS provides world-class aviation software and business management solutions, including AVMOSYS business management software, TRAQPak, CHEQ, and ARMOR SMS. ARGUS Charter operator ratings are the most recognized and requested independent source of overall operator quality. TRAQPak provides industry leading market intelligence data and research services, as well as expert aviation consulting. ARGUS subsidiaries include ARGUS PROS, the leading provider of on-site safety audits and PRISM, a worldwide leader in Safety Management System (SMS) and Certification services. Founded in 1995, ARGUS is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and actively engaged around the globe.