Press Release

Issued by Asian Business Aviation Association.

August 28, 2017

AsBAA, the Asian region's non-for-profit representative trade body for business aviation, today announced that it has increased its influence with global industry standards body International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) by appointing industry pioneer and Wijet board member Chris Buchholz and Joanne Wong, safety and security at Jet Aviation Flight Services, Inc., to the IBAC standards board, representing AsBAA. The appointment was made by Ben Walsh, head of IS-BAO programs at IBAC, following a recommendation by AsBAA's board of directors.

The move by AsBAA to enhance its presence in the US forms part of a global strategy to represent the needs of its members that are operating in Asia. Buchholz and Wong, both based in the US, now form part of AsBAA's US representative leadership team, which also includes former AsBAA chairman Charlie Mularski and vice-chairman David Best.

Jenny Lau, chairperson of AsBAA, said, “AsBAA is encouraged to see our advocacy efforts strengthen and advance in the US through the addition of Chris and Joanne to the IBAC standards board. Education on safety standards is an on-going priority for AsBAA; we are committed to ensuring understanding among our members and the wider community that IS-BAO is based upon ICAO standards and is the best practice for operators with all sizes of aircraft and operational profiles.”

Chris Buchholz is known as one of the pioneers of business aviation in Asia, having led Metrojet from one aircraft into the then-largest fleet operator in Asia Pacific and into the world's second-busiest Gulfstream authorized warranty repair facility at the time. He said, "I am very passionate about safety and business aviation and I am delighted to contribute to IBAC's very important IS-BAO work to lead and spread SMS standards in the industry, and to be able to support AsBAA is a real privilege."

Wong said of her appointment, “I am grateful for the nomination from AsBAA and the acceptance from the IBAC board. I'm thrilled to be given this opportunity to continue my support to the Asian business aviation community and participate on the IS-BAO standards board. The standard (IS-BAO) can often be misinterpreted due to language barriers or cultural differences; I am confident I can make a contribution to ensure a greater understanding of, and in turn, better application of this international safety standard.”

Former AsBAA leaders Charlie Mularski and David Best, now also based in the US, both support AsBAA's efforts under its three pillars; representation, advocacy and community. Best, who formally represents AsBAA at all IBAC meetings, said, “AsBAA's advocacy work is going from strength to strength. The addition of Chris and Joanne to the team is a big win for AsBAA and will support our on-going efforts around the world to represent the needs of the Asian business and general aviation community.”