Registration is now open for the National Air Transportation Association’s first annual Ground Handling Safety Symposium, to be held September 26 and 27 at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia. With a theme of “Building a Better Safety Management System,” the program is aimed at FBOs, MROs and anyone else who participates in the ground movement of aircraft in the general aviation industry. It will examine risk assessment and the practical aspects of promoting safety.

“Ground handling is an innately risk-based proposition,” noted Mike France, the organization’s managing director of safety and training. “Aircraft are designed to fly, and that’s where they’re at home. On the ground they’re particularly vulnerable to damage.” Service Elements International and Fireside Partners will host individual sessions on the intersection of service and safety and developing an emergency response plan, respectively.

In addition to service providers, France expects the agenda to be of interest to flight departments. “We’re getting more interest from aircraft operators who are spending more time thinking about what happens to their aircraft at an FBO,” he told AIN. “What should we be looking for when we’re choosing a ground handling provider at various airports?”

Cost of the symposium is $295 for NATA members and $370 for non-members.