PROS News

News & Information

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

ARG/US Acquires PROS from United Airlines

Aviation Research Group/U.S., Inc (ARG/US) announced today its acquisition from United Airlines of their operational safety auditing business unit. The entity, Partners and Resources for Operational Safety (PROS), is based in Denver, Colorado and is accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to conduct IATA Operational Safety Audits (IOSA) for passenger and cargo airlines around the globe.

With the addition of PROS, ARG/US substantially expands its existing auditing capability. ARG/US has been providing on-site safety audits for Part 91 and 135 operators since 2001. The Company also serves as a registrar for flight departments pursuing the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) certification. The acquisition of PROS now allows ARG/US to offer auditing services to U.S. Part 121 airline operators and international air carriers.

“The combination of auditing experience from these two organizations represents well over 600 years of aviation experience,” said Joe Moeggenberg, president of ARG/US. “This strategic acquisition creates an organization capable of auditing the full spectrum of private, charter, and commercial airline operations worldwide.”

The PROS operation will continue to be led by managing director Terry Webb and includes a staff of 30 auditors based around the world. “The acquisition of PROS by ARG/US presents us with additional opportunities to expand the wide variety of safety-related products and services which we already provide to the aviation industry, while allowing us to be even more flexible and responsive to the needs of our customers,” said Webb. The existing PROS employees in Denver and the auditors will remain in place to complement the ARG/US audit staff.

“PROS has established a reputation as one of the premier IATA-licensed IOSA Audit Organizations and Endorsed Training Organizations,” said William Yantiss, vice president of safety for United Airlines. “Our decision to sell this business supports our overall strategy of focusing on our core business. We wish the team continued success.”

“Both organizations have extensive experience with Safety Management Systems (SMS) as well. The synergy of these two knowledge bases, along with the training expertise at PROS, may lead to new product offerings and SMS training courses from ARG/US,” added Moeggenberg.

The IATA is an international trade body created over 60 years ago by a group of airlines. Today it represents over 250 airlines, comprising 94% of the scheduled
air traffic worldwide. The organization also represents, leads, and serves the airline industry in general. The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is an internationally accepted safety evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. "IATA is pleased that the majority of the PROS audit team will continue doing IOSA audits with ARG/US", stated Günther Matschnigg, senior vice president safety operations & infrastructure, IATA.

PROS was instrumental in the development of the IOSA program and continues to be a major contributor to international air safety, having conducted over 70 operational audits since the inception of IOSA in 2003. PROS is one of only eight accredited IOSA Audit Organizations worldwide and possesses more on-site experience than any other certified IOSA Audit Organization.

Each of the PROS auditors has met the stringent qualification requirements set forth by IATA to conduct IOSA audits. PROS is also one of three IATA Endorsed Training Organizations (ETO), accredited by IATA to conduct IOSA Auditor Training. The training is offered to experienced aviation auditors who wish to become IOSA qualified.

ARG/US is a leading provider of safety services to both Part 91 and Part 135 operators. Services include a process and systems based on-site safety audit for business aircraft operators. ARG/US was a pioneer in developing Safety Management Systems for air charter and the business aviation industry and remains a leader in promoting this emerging standard for operations. The ARG/US Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) system provides worldwide charter operator safety ratings and centralized due diligence to the charter consumer to assure that each trip meets their individual standards. ARG/US is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, with additional offices in Doylestown, PA. For more information, visit www.aviationresearch.com.