Universal Aviation Costa Rica Becomes First Service Provider in Central America with CAA-approved SMS

Universal Aviation Costa Rica recently became the first service provider or ground handler in Central America to earn an approved Safety Management System (SMS) from a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

In December 2020, Costa Rica’s CAA announced an upcoming new aeronautical SMS requirement regulation for all service providers. The new requirement became official June 17, 2021 and requires service providers to implement a CAA-approved SMS. Service providers had the option of beginning work on the SMS immediately and not waiting until the official June 2021 decree.

“We’re proud to become the first-ever service provider in Central America to implement a CAA-approved SMS,” said Simon Wade, head of International Safety, Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. “Our Universal Aviation Costa Rica team is committed to safety and was very proactive in starting the SMS process immediately, not waiting for the official decree.”

Costa Rica CAA approved Universal Aviation Costa Rica’s SMS following the completion of four phases of SMS implementation and a final audit.

Two Universal Aviation Costa Rica locations – San Jose (MROC) and Liberia (MRLB) have become the latest Universal Aviation ground handling offices to earn accreditation under the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program.

“Moving forward, this SMS approval will also fortify our IS-BAH certification renewals,” said Wade.

Universal Aviation, the worldwide ground support division of Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., has more than 70 locations in more than 20+ countries. Universal Aviation Costa Rica has two locations in San Jose and Liberia.