ARGUS vs. Wyvern vs. IS-BAO: Only One Is Actually FAA-Recognized

ARGUS International, founded in 1995, and Wyvern, founded in 1991, are independent companies that audit private charter operators against their own published standards. IS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, is managed by the International Business Aviation Council and built on International Civil Aviation Organization benchmarks, making it the only one of the three formally recognized by the FAA as an audit system for Part 135 operators. None of the three is part of the FAA, and none is legally required to operate a charter. They exist because a Part 135 certificate is a baseline: it confirms an operator meets minimum legal requirements, but says nothing about how that operator compares to others on safety culture, training depth, or audit history. These three programs fill that gap with independent, recurring review.

Only about 5% of charter operators worldwide hold ARGUS Platinum status, and Platinum itself requires annual on-site re-audit to maintain. Between full audits, Platinum-rated operators are also monitored on an ongoing basis through ARGUS's CHEQ database, rather than being reviewed once a year and left unmonitored in between.

Wyvern also issues PASS reports, Pilot and Aircraft Safety Survey, a 150-plus point pre-flight check that validates the specific crew and aircraft assigned to a given trip, covering pilot training and currency, accident history, background checks, aircraft maintenance status, and insurance. 

Unlike a static annual operator rating, a PASS report reflects real-time conditions for a particular flight, which is why a broker vetting a specific trip should be pulling a PASS report, not just confirming the operator's general Wingman status. As of recent counts, roughly 100 operators worldwide hold Wingman status, with several hundred more Registered but not Wingman-certified.

IS-BAO is unique among the three in being explicitly recognized by the FAA as an audit system for Part 135 operators, and it certifies in three ascending stages rather than a single pass/fail audit.

IS-BAO is primarily an operator-facing standard focused on management systems and internal process rather than a single operator-facing rating like Gold or Wingman, but it is directly relevant to charter clients because it signals the depth of an operator's safety culture beyond a pass/fail audit result. It is also a common starting point for newer operators building a compliant safety program from the ground up.

No. Every Part 135 operator must meet FAA safety requirements regardless of whether it holds an ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO rating. These third-party programs add an additional, independent layer of verification beyond the FAA baseline, but plenty of well-run, safe operators are not enrolled in any of them, often for reasons unrelated to safety, such as cost or fleet size. 

Hogani Jets does not treat any of these ratings as a blanket requirement for every charter; where appropriate, flights are arranged through ARGUS-, Wyvern-, or IS-BAO-rated operators, and Hogani Jets also works with vetted operators outside all three programs, selected through its own safety review process.

• Which specific operator, not just which broker, is flying this trip, and what is that operator's Part 135 certificate number?
• Does the operator hold an ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO rating, and if so, which specific tier, not just "ARGUS rated" without specifying Gold versus Platinum, or "IS-BAO certified" without specifying which stage?
• If the operator holds none of the three, what independent safety review has been conducted on it?
• For Wyvern-rated operators specifically, can the assigned captain's individual PASS report be verified for this specific flight, not just the operator's general Wingman status?
• When was the operator's most recent audit completed? A lapsed certification under any of the three programs is a meaningful red flag regardless of the tier once held.

Hogani Jets coordinates each charter through licensed Part 135 operators.

Contact Hogani Jets at charter@hoganijets.com or +1-855-660-0573.

What does ARGUS Platinum mean?

ARGUS Platinum is ARGUS's highest standard tier, requiring a full on-site audit, captains with a minimum of 5,000 flight hours, first officers with 2,500, a documented Safety Management System, and a workable Emergency Response Plan. Only about 5% of charter operators worldwide hold Platinum status.

What does Wyvern Wingman mean?

Wyvern Wingman is Wyvern's actual safety certification, requiring a two-day, physical, on-site audit of training records, maintenance procedures, and crew qualifications, renewed every 24 months. Remote or virtual certification is not accepted.

What is IS-BAO, and how is it different from ARGUS and Wyvern?

IS-BAO is the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, managed by the International Business Aviation Council and the only one of the three formally recognized by the FAA as an audit system for Part 135 operators. It certifies operators in three ascending stages based on the maturity of their internal safety management system, rather than a single pass/fail audit.

Is ARGUS Registered a safety certification?

Not meaningfully. ARGUS Registered is the lowest tier, indicating basic information submission rather than a completed safety audit. It should not be treated as equivalent to Gold, Gold Plus, or Platinum.

Is Wyvern Registered a safety certification?

No. Wyvern is explicit that Registered is a data-maintenance listing, not a safety audit. The operator has submitted documentation to Wyvern's platform, but Wyvern has not evaluated the operator's actual practices.

Does every charter flight need to be on a rated operator?

No. These are independent, voluntary ratings beyond the FAA's baseline Part 135 requirements. Hogani Jets does not require an ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO rating on every trip; many safe, well-run operators fall outside all three and are vetted through Hogani Jets' own safety review process instead.

What is a Wyvern PASS report?

A PASS report, Pilot and Aircraft Safety Survey, is a 150-plus point pre-flight check that validates the specific crew and aircraft assigned to a given trip, covering pilot training and currency, accident history, background checks, and maintenance status. It reflects real-time conditions for that specific flight rather than the operator's general annual rating.

How often do these ratings need to be renewed?

ARGUS Platinum requires annual on-site re-audit, with continuous CHEQ monitoring in between. Wyvern Wingman is renewed every 24 months via another two-day on-site audit. IS-BAO stages are reassessed as the operator's safety program matures rather than on a fixed calendar.

Can an operator hold all three ratings?

Yes. Since the three organizations evaluate operators somewhat differently, some operators maintain ARGUS Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, and IS-BAO Stage 3 status simultaneously to demonstrate safety credentials across all three frameworks.

Are ARGUS, Wyvern, and IS-BAO government agencies?

No. All three are independent organizations that audit charter operators against their own published standards. None is part of the FAA, though IS-BAO is the only one formally recognized by the FAA as a Part 135 audit system, and none replaces the FAA's own oversight.

Does Hogani Jets only use rated operators?

Not exclusively. Where appropriate, Hogani Jets arranges flights through ARGUS-, Wyvern-, or IS-BAO-rated operators, and also works with vetted Part 135 operators outside all three programs, selected through Hogani Jets' own safety review process.